Canada Square Still Incubates Amidst the Action
May 04, 2013 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Tracy Simpson Reports:
This afternoon I took a trip down to Canada Square to check up on Haven and Stormin’s progress towards a hatch. When I arrived I met up with Lyn at the observation post on Duplex and we chatted about the pair for a bit before I headed upstairs for a look. Lyn witnessed the pair taking a Turkey vulture to task earlier on as they were both not in the mood for messing about with their first egg close to a hatch. I met up with Cameron from Northam Realty Advisors and up we went to view the nest ledge. When we arrived, Stormin was on the eggs and was right in the middle of a readjustment. He had two eggs that I could clearly see beneath him and one directly in front. He reached forward and using his beak he attempted to roll the third egg back underneath himself. As he rolled the egg towards him he released just as it was about to slide up over his toe and the egg rolled back forward. He tried a second time and again, it rolled away on him. If you could have just seen the look on his face! Every time that the egg rolled away instead of underneath, he narrow his eyes and stared at it for a good few seconds before trying again. You could almost hear the “darn!!” that he was thinking each time. On the fourth try, the egg successfully rolled over his toe and was now securely tucked away with its other “yet to hatch” siblings.
Back outside I joined Lyn again back at the watch post where we sat chatting and waiting for Haven to return. When Haven did return on the scene it was not for a simple changeover but in full on defence of her site! We could hear the vocalization of an adult above the roar of the traffic and looked up to see a bird soaring around the Rio Can building. I looked quickly to the ledge and there was Haven and boy was she mad. The intruder turned and made a direct flight to the west with another falcon hot on her tail, this smaller bird being Stormin who came out of nowhere to take on the third bird. Haven followed within seconds and all three birds were now off to the west and out of our view. We waited for the return of one of the resident adults and began reviewing the pictures. We had a third bird alright but I have yet to figure out if this is the pesky juvenile / subadult that has been sighted around the lower province. It would appear that a few of our juveniles from last year did not migrate and are wandering the countryside being little bugs! Unfortunately this has had some serious consequences at some of the nest sites where this has been reported. Canada Square and Haven is one place and one girl that an inexperienced bird does not want to mess with.
With all of the excitement, Stormin must have slipped back in on the eggs and Haven was now on high alert in the area. She flew to Rio Can and roosted on one of the window uprights and then was back over on the ledge just below the nest ledge where she located a small bit of food that she kind of played with. Although anxious, both Haven and Stormin settled back in to their regular attentive parenting as we were gathering up to call it a day.
Thanks Lyn for your excellent observations and watchful eyes on Stormin and Haven. I will be back on Monday to the site to check for a hatch so check back soon for news of it. Pictures will be following shortly.
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