Reports For June 27-29th Plenty Of Activity
June 29, 2012 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Frank Butson Reports:
Thanks to Lyn for her continued monitoring of Stormin, Haven and their family. Posts got behind with the craziness of fledge watching. This catches us up.
Canada Square Peregrine report 20120627
A day of lessons for the fledglings – at least that is how it appeared to me! When I arrived at 12:30pm I saw both fledglings on the Canada Square building. One was on the old nest ledge and the other was in the shade of the fifth wall, southern end at nest level. Simcoe took off west along Eglinton but returned a minute later chasing Haven who circled Rio-Can and Heart and Stroke and went back through the gap between the apartments and the RC building and on to the old nest ledge. Haven flew and Simcoe stood around debating what to do. He soon decided to fly west along Eglinton again and off he went. This time when he returned he was chasing Haven who came in from somewhere south on Duplex over the old TTC garage, over Eglinton and through the gap between the apartments and RC again!! They both disappeared.
It was about this time that Solar woke up, stretched her wings and as Haven flew into the area over the old TTC bus bays Solar went to meet her. Solar was putting as much energy into her flying as her squawking as she chased Haven who had a food parcel!!! Then right in front of my eyes an attempt was made to pass the food parcel to Solar who dropped it. Oh my word!!! I saw this little scrap falling, falling, falling and then Haven swooped round and recovered it, flew up to Solar and said for heaven’s sake grab it! By this time Haven was almost at stalling speed to allow Solar take the food and SHE DID!! Haven flew to the old nest and Solar struggled a bit, flew over Eglinton, circled around Canada Square gaining height and flew onto the roof of Canada Square from the south end. It looked like a hard landing but little Solar was fine as she dragged the food to the edge where she proceeded to eat it!
Simcoe in the meantime had flown in and was on the old nest ledge, then onto the 4th ledge over, squawking his protest at no food. Simcoe sneaked onto the 3rd ledge over and Stormin flew in and sort of bumped him off the nest height onto the lower ledge before flying to RC. Simcoe launched and mom flew into the picture and the chase was on. He chased Haven twice around the RC and H&S Block, through the gap and then he was gone. Stormin flew then and met Haven and the two of them flew high over the Bell building and Solar was still eating! I left for a while at about 1:15pm.
Shortly after my return at 5:30 Simcoe showed off. He flew over the Yonge Eglinton intersection doing short loops and some sort of flip (much like pigeons when chased by peregrines) before landing on RC at the top. When Haven flew in the chase was on and then flew around Canada Square, Rio-Can and Heart and Stroke. Simcoe had had enough and he landed, first, on the north-west corner of Canada Square and then the antenna. He left the antenna and circled Canada Square twice, gaining height before landing on RC at the top near Solar.
Haven made a food drop and a *fight* ensued. one was *winging* the other out of the way. The one who lost flew over the apartment building and landed back on the top ledge. The other fledgling was plucking feathers madly and eating whilst the sibling patiently waited to the side.
I left at 7:38, very proud of my little peregrine!
Lyn
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Canada Square Peregrine report 20120628
I went west along Eglinton before returning to watch the peregrines. At that stage there was a swing stage on the north face of the black building. When I returned a half hour later, there was no-one on the swing stage. I sat and looked for Simcoe and Solar and found both of them huddled together in the shade of the fifth ledge south of the concrete wall on Canada Square. Then I spotted Haven on 2180 Yonge under the TVO sign. I wondered if there was any need to be concerned so called Marion. No need to be alarmed!
Solar became active at 3:30, exercised her wings, walked along the ledge she was on and very sportingly showed me her *no tape* band!! Then she flew all along the west side of Canada Square going north, then east a bit, gaining height and circled back and landed on the Canada Square antenna!
Simcoe too was very sporting and showed me his *yellow tape* before settling down in the shade. He then just dropped off the edge and flew more or less the same route that Solar had taken and also landed on the antenna. He walked towards Solar and then lay down, just his tail was visible. Both of them, in the right light, seem to be developing Haven’s colouring.
Two hours and ten minutes later Solar, (ID’d by size), flew around Canada Square with Haven and then went south and landed on the antenna on 2180 Yonge. A beautiful landing on the second rung down! Shortly after that Solar took off and went south and out of sight.
Simcoe appeared on the Canada Square antenna and appeared to have a little difficulty balancing out in the open as he tilted back and forth a couple of times. He decided to go back where he had been, hidden, and settled down again. Haven made a *recce* flight into the area, down to where the pigeon nests area on the black building she briefly settled on the black building. She then flew across Eglinton through the gap and around RC. Lance spotted her on the west side of RC before flying along Eglinton Ave and settling on the Bell Canada building. She was there but a minute when she launched herself and next thing we knew she was carrying a huge food parcel. She had caught a pigeon in my blink of an eye and flew to the top of the CIBC building at the corner of Yonge and Eglinton. We saw feathers fly!! We think she had something to eat before the fledglings caught up with her. Twenty three minutes later she flew to the top of Rio-Can with a food parcel and proceeded to partake of more of the pigeon. Lance spotted that.
Simcoe flew in a bit later and took the food from Haven who flew off then. A while later Solar flew onto the antenna on Canada Square, squawking madly. As no-one took any notice of her she flew to the top of RC but was not quite high enough to land so she circled back over Canada Square and finally made it to the roof near her brother. This time it was Solar’s turn to wait in the sidelines until her sibling had finished eating.
Haven made a fast entry to the area by going into a tight stoop over the old TTC bus bays, over Duplex and then swooped out of it and circled back over 53 Division and over the apartment building. By this time Simcoe had moved and Solar was tucking into the remains. Eventually she moved to the south-east corner of the roof and sat. Simcoe flew and we saw him atop the wall at the south-east corner above Solar. That was the extent of today’s activity. Caroline left just after eight and I left shortly after that.
It is very encouraging to see people looking to the skies, searching for the peregrines. We are still seeing a number of new people, almost daily, who come up and ask what we are looking at. Their interest is piqued as they drive or walk by and see our *eyes to the sky*!!
Thanks Maggie, Lance and Caroline for your company today.
Lyn
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Canada Square Peregrine report 20120629
I sat outside 53 Division this afternoon for simply ages and no peregrine was in sight. Then, thank goodness Pierre spotted movement on a ledge. Pierre has spent time at Duncan Mills checking on Quest and Kendal and thought he would pass time at this site today.
The peregrine on the ledge was Solar, who gave us a beautiful wing stretch before her hysteria when Stormin made a food drop! My word, the excitement!!! She grabbed the food parcel and ran to the back of the ledge.
Haven flew in and landed on the south face of Rio-Can, top floor. Later on Simcoe flew in and landed on RC. So I did see the whole family today, albeit at different times.
At one point we had three in the air, Stormin, Solar and Simcoe. Stormin and Solar did one talon touch and then she landed on the antenna on top of Canada Square. Simcoe flew in after her and also landed on the antenna. Solar was co-operative and showed her *tapeless band*, just the silver reflected in the light. Simcoe was not so generous and kept his band out of sight.
Haven made quite a few flights today, once the heat of the day had passed. A number of times she came in from behind 53 Division and circled Canada Square or the Yonge-Eglinton intersection or went around the RC and Heart and Stroke building. Simcoe in the mean time had flown from the antenna and temporarily disappeared but he put in another appearance and flew over 2180 Yonge, over Canada Square and landed on top of RC. Solar was still on the antenna, sometimes hidden and sometimes not. Finally she flew and went directly to RC, the south west corner and made it first go, a bit wobbly but the height was fine. Both fledglings were on the RC roof ledge at the point when I left for a break at 6:30pm.
When I returned twenty minutes later I saw only one fledgling on the RC roof and Haven was sitting on the Canada Square roof. Later, I heard squawking from RC and saw a peregrine flying from the south. It circled over Canada Square and then landed on the antenna. Haven flew to the roof of the black building, disappearing from sight and the fledgling on the antenna flew to RC roof. Later on I spotted one of the fledglings, whom I think was Solar (by size), flying over Rio-Can and practising her flying and some kiting! She sort of went backwards when kiting; I guess the breeze took her. It looked a bit odd until she flapped and moved forward again.
A few minutes later Haven circled the area twice and landed on the south east part of the RC roof with a food package. Solar was most excited and flew in and hit the edge of the roof, fluttered, circled back and around and this time made it onto the top of that south east part of the roof. Haven flew off. A bit later Simcoe, on the RC roof looked as if he had something to eat. I saw a few feathers fly, not many. By this time Haven was on the top of the wall on the south west side of RC, resting. Solar finished eating and flew over to her mother and almost knocked her off her perch then both flew off. Solar was high and flew south west-ish over 53 Division and back east until she was back on the south east corner of RC. Little did I know that Haven was back in that spot and when Solar appeared Haven took off with the food parcel and flew to the south west corner of RC. Simcoe made a mad dash for his mom, squawking and wing flapping to get there before Solar. He was successful! Solar flew off, circled Canada Square and the antenna and then flew back to the RC roof to await her turn.
Haven flew to the old nest wall and sat for a few minutes. Her crop was bulging nicely!
When I left at 8:06pm the two fledglings were sitting on the RC roof and Haven was also on RC six floors down from the top.
Lyn