!!! Big Al’s Big Flight!!!
June 15, 2013 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Lisa Reh Reports:
At 6:06 a.m. Tony reported that Big Al flew west towards the hospital! Castor took off with him. The watchers did not see Big Al return, however at some point he made it back to the middle of the tower, partially hidden from sight and was discovered when he flapped his wings occasionally. Caster and Statler were exhibiting courtship like behavior on both the main tower and the smaller tower between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. Early in the watch there was an explosion north of the site. Caster came rushing from his perch at the nest box on Union Street. All the birds were squawking and at full attention after the explosion which turned out to be a transformer on one of the hydro lines. Eventually everyone settled down. Caster has been a very attentive father mostly supervising from higher elevations. At one point an approaching turkey vulture caught the attention of Statler. She raced after him and hit him two times, both of them tumbling down. Statler chased him all the way past the Kings Towers towards downtown Kitchener. The adults did a package transfer and then Caster took the food into the nest drum. One of the chicks grabbed a large piece and the other chick was mouth fed by Statler. She also ate some herself. Big Al remained in his perch for the remainder of the day. The attentive parents continued to try and coax him from his perch but he was staying put. Congratulations Big Al on your first flight!!!!
