Canadian Peregrine Foundation

!!! A day at the beach! Sunning, bathing and Fishing???? Look what I got!

August 17, 2013 - International, National and Local News

CPF Postmaster Reports:

Although a very late entry, (I must apologize), as just I found this e-mail and attached photos that had obviously been captured and filed away in one of my anti-spam folders!! Sadly, I have only just discovered this particular folder and going through it now. With more than 135 e-mail, its going to take me some time to get through it all,,, but there is some really interesting stuff!!!!!

This particular observation report was sent in to us almost a year ago to this very date, and was sent via the authors I-phone. The very short note included a report of an adult pair of peregrines hunting on a beach in Saskatchewan Canada last year in August of 2013. The pair were actually observed “fishing”!

While the pair were unsuccessful in actually catching a live fish themselves during this observation period, - (with more than a dozen attempts diving into the shallow water after small feeder fish),, they did manage to find a rather large (but very fresh dead fish) that has washed up on the beach. So fresh in fact, that the gulls had not yet discovered it. Although, I’m sure if I was a gull, that I would be hanging around with a determined pair of adult peregrines in hunting mode!

While this type of happening would be something that you would expect to see out in British Columbia with the Peales sub species of the peregrine falcon, it is not something that you would see with our interior peregrine subspecies…. Then again, the anatum sub-species as we knew it is really no more given all of the cross-breeding that has happened, so, you never know now. Clearly this pair doesn’t look at all typical of the Peales sub species of the peregrine falcon as we know it, but you never know now what linage this pair have come from?

The Peale’s Falcon, Falco peregrinus pealei, is one of the original three North American subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon. This race was first identified by the ornithologist Robert Ridgway in 1873, named in honor of Titian Ramsay Peale, and like the original three north American peregrine sub-species, is (or was) quite distinct in its appearance. The Peale’s peregrine sub-species are the largest subspecies of “Peregrines” anywhere in the world and cold only be found in the western coast lines of the northern parts North America.

The final photo, pictures the adult male standing on the dead fish, almost to suggest that he is trying to deceive his female mate in believing that he had been successful in his efforts lol

Hmmmm, interesting behaviour indeed! Cormorants beware!!
Enjoy.

Posted on August 12, 2014 4:40 pm

Observation for International, National and Local News

Windwhistler spending a quiet afternoon at home

August 12, 2014 - Toronto - King Street

Marion Nash Reports:

Got a close shot from the web cam of WW at home today.

Marion

Posted on August 12, 2014 2:55 pm

Observation for Toronto - King Street

!!! Gwenis in Ohio!!

August 12, 2014 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge

Kathy Reports:

Yesterday I received an email message from our good friends,Chad and Chris in Ohio, asking me to ID a peregrine falcon with black bands reading S/25. After checking records I quickly found that she was a 2013 hatch named Gwenis, born to Freddy and Voltaire in 2013 at the Windsor Ambassador Bridge.

C&C found her at a new nest site they were checking in Fremont, Ohio. She is also not alone and has a mate named Magic - whose own story of survival is quite miraculous. For more details and photos of Gwenis and Magic, you can read the entire story over at C&C’s Peregrine Page.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.943593438999762.1073742097.590679534291156&type=1

Thank you Chad and Chris and congratulations to all the Windsor fans!

Posted on August 12, 2014 5:58 am

Observation for Windsor - Ambassador Bridge

Canada Square catch up

August 04, 2014 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton

Marion Nash Reports:

I checked on the peregrines at Canada Square on July 28. I saw two juveniles and positively ID’d the one as Linden - yellow band. They flew around and over Rio-Can (RC), the Yonge Eglinton intersection and Canada Square. Linden went into a stoop east along Eglinton Ave but came up empty.
Just before I left Malik did a fly-by and fly-over and once his inspection was over Haven flew in for a quick check. I was not able to get colour on the second juvie’s band.
On July 31 I was out for an hour and a half and had some activity to watch and record. Malik kept himself entertained and me busy for close to an hour. He flew over Y/E intersection and Canada Square then settled temporarily on the south east corner of RC. There was a spurt of activity when he went into a stoop along Eglinton east and caught as small bird which he promptly offloaded on the north *nest* level. Having done that, he hopped down to the ledge below and then flew around Canada Square to pop up again on the ledge below the nest. Once he had completed his inspection he flew north around Canada Square and I saw him go into a dive before disappearing on the east side of the building.
Five minutes later he was kiting and soaring above the tall Condo (identified because of missing tail feather). He really enjoyed the breeze and went into a stoop around the two condos, played a little *touch and go* on the top of the condo and then disappeared again. The next time I spotted him he was flying over Canada Square then east of RC and back again over the old bus bays and then to the south west corner of RC.
Whilst he was perched I saw a peregrine stoop on a pigeon over the Y/E intersection and miss but it was close and I think the pigeon shed a feather or two and high tailed it for northern Ontario. Malik flew to the RC roof and then Haven flew around Canada Square, east of RC and back to the third ledge south of the wall on Canada Square where she settled for a while and feasted on a pigeon. Once that meal was done she cleaned her beak and flew to the east side of Canada Square and was gone.
Malik was a bit restless and continued to fly here and there and even went into a stoop south on Duplex, really, really, low, but missed. Eventually he too disappeared.
On Friday, Aug 1, I was briefly entertained by Chinook, positive ID blue band who had been sitting on the first ledge south of the wall. He REALLY did not want to move and didn’t for a while. When he eventually flew it was simply off Canada Square and onto RC and a third of the way up. When he was that much closer to me I could see the reason for his reluctant flight. He looked as if his crop was working through a tennis ball. It was HUGE. He was stuffed. At one point it was all he could do to turn his head and watch two gulls fly over, way high up. Whilst I was sitting there musing over his meal I noticed a very dark cloud coming in from the north. Haven did a quick fly-by and as big drops began to fall I packed up and scuttled into the mall.
On Saturday I spotted Haven high up at the BACK of the Heart and Stroke building – hiding! This used to be Stormin’s favourite hide out.
Lyn

Posted on August 5, 2014 12:10 pm

Observation for Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton