May 11, 2014 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
Sunday May 11th - 2014 Mothers Day!
A huge than you to Anne Yagi of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at the Vineland Ontario MNR district office Ontario along with her daughter Erica and Jon Planck who gave up a portion of their Sunday morning and Mothers Days to meet with me to band our little MEC male fledgling, Canada’s First hatched peregrine, and the obvious first to fledge. An additional big thank you to MEC security for all of their support and assistance, and to the MEC management group and Colliers for all of their support and assistance.
Actually, after checking with many our good friends in the southern USA states where their resident state nesting peregrines are typically far ahead of our peregrines here in Canada and have long since produced and hatched their eggs, this little Mississauga Ontario peregrine hatchling turns out to be the first peregrine hatchling for the 2014 season in North America!! Talk about taking everyone by surprise!
With Mark Heaton out of province for the weekend, and Anne having only returned herself from the USA late Saturday night, I was scrambling yesterday trying to find someone that had the solid Black Canadian recovery bands in hand so that the little fledgling could be banded before being released back to the wild and to his parents care.
After many calls later and mutable streams of text communications with both Mark and then Anne, I was finally able to arrange to meet Anne at her Vineland district office this morning at 11am, (some 240 kms and a three hour round trip by car), little “Mason” had has been named, was successfully weighed, checked for his health, banded and was soon on his way back to Mississauga and his awaiting parents. His first, and hopefully his only car ride that he will ever have to take in his lifetime.
After spending some three plus days on the lower roof top where he was stranded, (and without substantial real food or water), we only felt that it was fair to offer him a decent meal Saturday evening before his release today, which he readily accepted without any complaint during his feeding, but in true form, then went after poor Marion after feeding him when he had eaten his fill. Yes, a real wild one for sure! It is although nice to see this feisty healthy attitude.
I arrived back at the MEC nest site at approx.: 1:30pm and met with Bruce who had arrived moments earlier to resume the fledge watch me with after Mason’s release. By 2:30pm, Mason was back to the nest building rooftop and moments later was joined by his mom. An additional thank you to Grace from Brampton who joined us for the fledge watch this afternoon.
Less than 40 minutes after releasing Mason to the upper rooftop of MEC #1, his mother was bringing him in food, and did so at three other occasion throughout the balance of the day.
Interesting enough, further suspicions brewed amongst ourselves with regards to the identity of the resident male. It is quite odd for this particular adult male, in that at no time over the past three days while watching the adult pair interact with the young fledgling, at no time did we sever see the resident adult male show any interest in the young fledgling or did he ever attempt to drop food to the fledgling, let alone with trying to ever feed it. Mom fed the young fledgling on three other occasions to day.
In addition to this, we saw the adult pair actually involved in copulation on four separate occasions,,, and yesterday, the male was caught on camera in-involved in some serious nest bowl scrapping in nest box! ** Bruce and Tracy also witnessed this same happening (copulation) on both the Friday and Saturday on numerous occasions throughout the fledge watch.
Very strange behaviour indeed given that the female has already hatched and currently dealing with a young fledgling! Hmmmm, can’t wait to see how this season will play out at this nest site given these unusual behaviour. The obvious question has been asked and still remains unanswered, is this the same resident male of past seasons or has there been a turnover of the resident adult male since the hatch?
Some quick particulars on little Mason recorded at banding today,,, weighted in at 636 grams, Black Banded R over 53.
Photos courtesy of Jon and Anne who manned the camera during his banding today.
Stay tuned, more to come………
Posted on May 12, 2014 3:25 am
May 11, 2014 - Hamilton - Sheraton Hotel
Kathy Reports:
A big thank you to Hanny over at the BCAW Falcon Forums for the heads up on an egg sighting in Hamilton.
We knew they were incubating but due to the new location they’ve chosen, it’s been impossible to get a peek at any eggs. I was able to retrieve this screen capture from the archives at 3:21 pm today where you can see part of an egg.
Posted on May 11, 2014 5:30 pm
May 11, 2014 - Toronto - Mount Sinai Hospital
CPF Volunteer Reports:
I arrived around 10:00am and found a peregrine in the ledges between the upper span of window, plucking at prey. Feathers were flying all over the place. It then took the food and flew to the south side of the hospital. Finally I got to see the peregrines.
Posted on May 11, 2014 3:27 pm
May 11, 2014 - Toronto - Don Mills
Kathy Reports:
I’ve been trying to get a good screen shot but it’s too difficult as they can’t really hold their heads very long for me to grab one. Saw three little heads clearly now during a shift change. Dad came in to give mom a short break. He didn’t seem to know what to make of the little cotton balls :) He had that new dad, deer in the headlights expression!
So three hatches and one egg to go…stay tuned to see if it hatches!
Posted on May 11, 2014 11:16 am
May 11, 2014 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
This has been quite a week for our little man out at the Mississauga Executive Centre! A week ago, he disappeared off of camera view and so Bruce went out to investigate on Monday. The little explorer had left the box and was now in the window well next to it playing away. By Tuesday he had made his way back into the box again and was amply rewarded by Rogue for his work with some nice pigeon.
Bruce was out again on Wednesday for another site check and watched the little one lounge in the box for several hours looking quite happy to be home. On Thursday, our little adventurer once again went out of the box and ended up plopping down into the well again. Shannon checked in the morning and found Rogue on the nest ledge beside the box looking down into the well so we were certain he was there. At some point, he came out of the well and at the tender age of 36 days, had an “oopsie” and came off of the building down to the low first floor roof on the north side of the nest building.
On Friday, Bruce and Mark spent the day watching him as he wandered around his new environs with Rogue and Sante trying to tease him off into flight. Rogue finally gave in and flew down to the low roof to beak feed little man and tuck him into bed
Bruce started the early morning shift yesterday watching him preen and move about on the lower roof. I arrived at around 8am and joined Bruce and I must say, the winds were just blazing through. Our little fledgling was careful not to do anything too silly as the winds were so strong he would not be able to control himself. He spent much of the first hour on the east side in the sun occasionally going over to the west side exploring. He did a few short practice flights on the low roof that Bruce gave an 8 out of 10 for effort and 6 out of 10 for the landing. Still much more practice needed! He worked away on all of the down that he still has and every few minutes, a cloud of three or four feathers would get taken away by the wind as he preened.
Shortly after 10am, he got this look on his face… …concentrated, serious, intending to do something here… …and he took a short flight across the roof. I went around to the west side and found him on the edge of the low roof and he was looking to go. He hopped and flapped several times and next thing you know it, he was airborne! The winds quickly buffeted him down on the ground beside the fence that surrounds the north side of the nest building. Off I went in pursuit and he decided to go bushwhacking through the brush. Great. I dove into the brush after him and he turned to give me what for. Too bad little man, you’re coming with me. I gently grabbed him up while he not so gently grabbed me and we were off to the rescue carrier.
After a relax period in the “rescue room” at MEC 1, I took a look at him and he was quite furious with me. Lashing out with talons flying and biting at me wherever he could. Nice feisty little attitude. I contacted Mark Nash to try and set in motion the opportunity to band our young man before his return to the roof of the nest building to try again. Check back for Mark’s report on his potential banding and release!!
Of note, Rogue and Sante are going through some adult rebonding stuff already. Sante has now constructed a huge scrape in the nest box and Bruce caught them copulating on Friday. This is all a part of the bonding ritual between resident adults and for these two it is happening very early in the season. We usually see this behavior in the fall!! Nice to see the pair reconnecting while taking awesome care of their young son!
Posted on May 11, 2014 8:42 am
May 11, 2014 - Toronto - Don Mills
Kathy Reports:
As darkness fell last night I saw evidence of new egg shell appear from under Quest and this morning confirms that we now have two babies. Quest is feeding them both breakfast now.
Skye is so excited, he keeps flying in with even more food and Quest keeps sending him away 
Posted on May 11, 2014 5:50 am
May 10, 2014 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Lisa Reh Reports:
On Monday May 5, Rudy observed a shift change around 1:00 p.m. Tony snapped a few pictures of possibly Caster at 3:55 p.m. having dinner on the balcony facing Union and Park. On Tuesday, May 6, Rudy observed a shift change again around the same time about 1:00 p.m. At 6:30, Rudy was on the watch again but didn’t see much activity other than seeing a grin flying to the parapet on the right side of the box. Rudy left at 7:45 and the grin was still sitting in the same position. Lisa was back at the site at 8:15 to 8:30 and the grin was still on the same parapet.
On Wednesday, May 7, Lisa observed: “1 falcon swooping north from Caroline St. eastwards and landed on the yellow globe of the Sun Life sign facing King Street at 12:15 p.m. Between 3:30 and 3:45, from Union Street, 1 falcon was dive bombing and swooping at 2 crows who were in some trees on the side lawn of the Sun Life building to the right of the Union Street entrance. The grine chased them from Union St. side across to King St into the tall spruces by the Travel Plus. This display went on for some time. The falcon was flying fairly low at about the 5th floor height and would fly a little higher and would then stoop and dive bomb the crows. He kept at them again and again near the Travel Plus on King St. and then disappeared westward. As soon as the falcon disappeared both crows in tandem flew towards the northwest side of the building. I have sighted the crows in the spruces by the smoking area on the Park side of the building numerous times and believe they may have a nest in those trees.”
On Thursday, May 8, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. It got very interesting between 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. today Lisa reported… “1 falcon sighted on the north side parapet over the Caroline Street entrance just before 12:00 p.m. I had a clear view for an hour and a half from the Thai Bistro on Belmont with my binoculars in hand. At 12:00, 1 flew into the nest box, a few minutes later one flew out and headed east. At 12:30 - 3 grines flew out from the direction of the nest box; 2 together and one flew up much higher and appeared to be following the others from a much higher altitude. All headed west towards Belmont towards my position and then I lost sight of them as they continued westward. At 1:00 p.m., 2 turkey vultures landed on the Park & Union parapet. From my vantage point it looked like they were right beside the nest box!! They were there for a few minutes, then 1 falcon flew south and a little lower than the vultures. The turkey vultures ever so casually flew in the direction of the hospital as soon s the grine came from the west. The grine didn’t attack the vultures and I could see them soaring quite low on Belmont St. A at 1:20 I witnessed a grine chasing a seagull around the west side of the building at quite a low altitude.” Rudy was also watching at around 12:30 and confirmed that the vultures were indeed right beside the nest box but a grine didn’t come out to chase them away nor did he see any grins in the area. Rudy also observed a crow chasing an Osprey that was soaring from Waterloo about 1:10. Tony was also watching at about 12:30 from Union St. He noticed one grine which was sitting on the parapet to the right of the box soar from the building northwards and then circled higher and higher to the point where he lost sight. Wendy also had 2 sightings from the 11th floor window: at 11:40, one grine flew down from the nest area of the roof and one at 2:30, one grine flew up towards the nest box. Karen was on the watch from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. with absolutely no activity at the nest box. Karen did hear one call briefly before she left. Tony and Helen were also on the watch at about 6 p.m. but had no activities to report. At 8:15 pm. Lisa was on the watch and there was a bit activity, one grine making 3 swoops around the nest box.
On Friday, May 9 at 10:40, Lisa observed the osprey soaring around Caroline Street. One of the falcons made his presence known and the osprey headed back to Waterloo. The falcon also chased a seagull at the same time. At 3:00 p.m. a falcon was dive bombing the crows.
Photos courtesy of Tony Bergauer.
Posted on May 10, 2014 11:03 pm
May 10, 2014 - Toronto - Mount Sinai Hospital
Linda Woods Reports:
After not seeing any activity on the east ledges for the past week, I finally was able to see a hand off of the nest ledge. “Seven” quietly appeared on the edge of the ledge around 2:15 p.m. and flew to south west area of the hospital and out of sight. Hunter came around and entered the nest area. This is a good indication that they are still in full incubation. It is not possible to see how many eggs there are from any angle, which is unfortunate, but we will have to wait until little white heads appear.
Posted on May 10, 2014 7:40 pm
May 10, 2014 - Toronto - Don Mills
Kathy Reports:
First time dad Skye came in to meet his first ever offspring just a few minutes ago! I think he’s a little excited!
Posted on May 10, 2014 4:53 pm
May 10, 2014 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre
Linda Woods Reports:
Chick # 1 can be seen, and a second egg is pipping. How about that for a “Mother’s Day weekend! So exciting.
Please visit the webcams, as the “auto crop” for our website seems to be cutting off the image. Sorry about that.
Posted on May 10, 2014 10:57 am
