!!! Duncan Mill fledge watch has started with the first fledge today and a sucessful rescue!
June 17, 2013 - Toronto - Don Mills
Mark Nash Reports:
June 17th - 2013
The Fledge watch has started!!
In typical peregrine fashion, (and without any warning) days before the official scheduled fledge watch was scheduled to start,, the first young peregrine hatchling has become a fledgling, (well, sot of)! The young hatchling stumbled and fell off the ledge! Not a planned event at all!
In the middle of running around to all the east end nest sites with extra rescues carriers, towels, CPF ID badges and radio’s to accommodate the needs of volunteers that will be needed to cover 4 more fledge watches that are soon to begin, my i-phone lit up like a x-mass tree shortly after 1pm this afternoon with incoming e-mail, text messages and phone calls all at the same time!
In short, “panic attack”!! One of the young hatchlings at the Don Mill Road nest site had just slipped and accidentally fallen off the nest ledge and once airborne, attempted to hold its composure and made a feeble attempt to hold its altitude and tried to fly.
Well, for all those of you that been on fledge watch, you may already have some ideas as to the outcome of this type of event. The good news, no mortality, successful rescue and finally returned back to the roof elevation to its parent care! Another one safely rescued! That makes 9 successful rescues so far this season, and we’ve only just begun!!!
Ongoing fledge watches happening now at:
MEC nest site, Downtown Toronto Sheraton Centre hotel nest site, Toronto 18 king Street nest site, ICICI Don Mills & Eglinton Ave east nest site, Canada Square - Yonge & Eglinton nest site, Etobicoke Sun Life nest site - Bloor & Islington nest site and Kitchener CTV nest site.
Fledge watches already completed this season: Burlington Lift Bridge and Windsor Ambassador bridge nest. site.
Witnessed by Margaret at the Harlequin head office, the hatchling (named Kimami - Banded - Black Y over 71, Blue tape) jumped into action making the necessary calls to get help. Moments later, the “Harlequin rescue squad” were in the streets and on the search in her last know position. They eventually found her on the ground at the base of the building in the rear parking lot.
As Margaret reports:
Hi Mark… here is the details you’d requested…
Kimami actually fell off the ledge while practising her flapping. She was standing in one place flapping and went right over the edge. Looked like a loss of balance at the wrong time. Would have been 3 or 4 minutes after 1pm, as I emailed while phoning Chris. She only fell about a foot or 18 inches, then started to flap… a pretty strong flight staying at the 5th-6th floor level and swooping east to the end of the building, then north between addresses 220 & 240. She was headed toward the ravine when she went out of my sight.
While on route to Duncan Mills road, I was able to reach Cathy Kerr on her mobile phone who was down at the Don Mills nest site on the fledge watch. She scrambled into her car and rushed to Duncan Mills road.
Upon her arrival, (and several more calls to her relaying messages and other communications received from Harlequin), she finally hooked up with the gals from Harlequin who had already found the grounded hatchling. With towel in-hand, (and a text book retrieval and successful rescue), Kimami was safely scooped up without incident.
She was held until my arrival, examined for obvious injuries and other trauma. After a short hold over to further examine Kimami for any delayed unseen trauma or injuries, she was later released back to the upper roof top elevation of the nest building and back to her parents care. Both Quest and Kendal were on hand to vocalize their disapproval of my roof top presence, and Kimami was successfully released without further incident. Moments later, she was observed up on the upper ledge of the roof retaining wall screaming for her parents attention. Quest eventually gave in and finally joined her on the roof ledge, and in a very heart warming real family moment, the two touched beaks. Shortly after, Quest brought in food for Kimani.
Interestingly, Kimami’s two other sisters (thank goodness - still on the nest ledge) didn’t get any food this evening.
A huge thank you to Margaret, Christine, Sally, Donna, and all of the Harlequin team for jumping into action to quickly, and to Cathy Kerr for her quick actions and rescue!
A big thank you also goes out to the management group and security at 220 Duncan Mill Road for giving us access to their facilities that allowed us to get Kimami back to the roof and her parents!
What a GREAT TEAM!!!!
I know that I have forgotten the names of the other Harlequin gals who sprang into action and mobilized in the streets to locate Kimami, and must apologize. Its been a long day, (combined with my absence of memory), a little sleep depravation and old age 
Sadly, you can expect to see less colourful and less detailed reports from here on in, as 16 hour days, 7 days a week in the streets on the various fledge watches over the next few weeks will be taking their toll.
I will do my best to report (in short) the hi-lights of the days events on the various watches that I am involved in.
A big thank you to Sally for the photos supplied with this posting.
Stay tuned… the craziness has just begun……..
