Waterloo Sun Life Closing Shift; Quiet But Not Uneventful
July 10, 2012 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I met Marion at 5:30pm for the closing shift at the Sun Life Financial nest site on this beautiful, cool evening. The resident male was on his favorite perch on the east side of the building and the female was not in view. Just after 6pm, the male took of his perch and flew several times back and forth across the eastern face of the building before landing on the retaining wall at the top of the concrete pillar section of the building we watchers refer to as the playpen. This is the area that we believe the juvenile is now spending most of his time playing, exercising and staying in the shade. At around 6:30pm, the male took off east on what appeared to be a serious hunt and disappeared from our sight. Within 10 minutes, the resident female appeared on one of the uprights that hold the Sun Life Financial sign but didn’t stay there for long. Minutes later she was up on the “playpen” retaining wall in the exact place the male was sitting and she was looking down onto the roof. She then left and headed north on a hunt but returned moments later without prey. She flew straight onto the roof, remained for a few minutes and the flew back up to the top of the retaining wall.
As we sat watching and talking about the site, a pure white pigeon flew in from the north, glided just beneath the resident female, banked up and over the roof and then circled around to the north again. We chatted at the brave act the pigeon had just made and then forgot all about him. Within 30 minutes the pigeon had returned for another go and this time the female would have none of it. She took off of her perch and flew directly at it as the pigeon moved south of the building and as she reached it, Statler banked to the left and flashed talons and the pigeon rolled to evade her. They both broke away from one another; the pigeon carrying on south and the female returning to the retaining wall. It was as if her flight at it was just to give a clear message that it was annoying her and to “get lost, silly pigeon or become food”. After this little event, the pigeon did not return!!
As the sun was setting and we began to pack up for the night, Statler, the resident female was perched high on the concrete pillar playpen wall and the male had yet to return. We look forward to seeing the family tomorrow as the juvenile should now be approximately 37 days old; just right for a first appearance!
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