!!! Some additional photos of the wayward Gyrfalcon escapee hanging out in Scarborough’s east end.
November 12, 2012 - International, National and Local News
CPF Postmaster Reports:
November 12th - 2012
It would appear that the little immature male Gyrfalcon escapee has attracted allot of attention here in Scarborough over the past week and the media frenzy continues with most of the local major newspapers and TV networks that have been out to cover the story.
In addition to the local and national news coverage this little guy has attracted, many of the local birding community and local photographers are making Scarborough one of their regular stopping spots to get a peek.
In this case, (and unlike many of the other escapee falconry birds that we have dealt with), this little male immature Gyrfalcon seems to be holding his own food wise with the abundance of the available avian food sources in the neighbourhood. Lets just say, this is not a good place to be pigeon these days!
With a huge thanks to Ann and Big Frank, we have had allot of recent photos sent in that we would love to share with you. Sadly, no-one has been able to get close enough to read any of the falcons leg band numbers, so it identity and its true owner still remains a mystery.
In this case, given that the Gyrfalcon was produced in captivity and is privately owned as evident by the much smaller breeders type leg bands on its legs.
Even the much larger government issued silver and the coloured recovery marker leg bands are difficult to read even with a decent spotting scope, the tiny breeders bands and the identifying digits etched on them is almost impossible to read unless you have them in your hand.
In some of the photos attached with this update, you can see one of the two small breeders type leg bands, and even with a great deal of magnification and allot of photo-shop colour correcting and sharpening of the image, it is still impossible to see (let along read the band number identification).
Given the abundance of “easy prey” with several very large resident flocks of pigeons in the neighbourhood, it would appear that our little escapee will be want NOT for food that’s for sure!
Given its species, (a Gyrfalcon), it should have no problem with the winter weather conditions that are sure to follow over the next few months. This bird is very well adapt to handle most anything that our southern Ontario winter weather can throw at it,, especially given the huge benefits of the urban landscapes where our resident urban peregrine falcons are now flourishing.
As we know, most all of our resident urban adult peregrines don’t migrate south and spend all year on their territories here in southern Ontario. You can visit most of the CPF nest cams throughout the winter months and regularly see the resident territorial adults still hanging out on their nest ledges all winter long.
It will be interesting to see just how long this little Gyrfalcon will remain in the area.
Stay tuned…..
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