May 10, 2015 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Thank you to our friends in Michigan for this amazing update! Viper, hatched at the Windsor Ambassador Bridge in 2012 to Freddie and Voltaire, has had two of her four eggs hatch so far at the Lansing Board of Water and Light Otto E. Eckert Power Station. What makes this such a phenomenal event is the story leading up to it.
Viper arrived last spring at the power station along with several other females. The resident female was displaced in a territorial battle, the victor was then fighting yet another new female and at the end of it all Viper came in and claimed the nest box for her own. She nested last year with Eckert, the resident male, producing three eggs that after 45 days were candled and shown to be infertile.
Fast forward to January of this year. Viper was reported missing and a new unbanded female had taken over the box. The new girl and Eckert were getting on with courtship when Viper returned and a vicious nest box battle was video taped by their in box camera that ended with Viper and her rival talon locked and tumbling out of the box and down the face of the plant. The monitors for the site were able to later confirm that Viper remained and was once again resident female of the plant.
Viper and Eckert laid four eggs this spring and folks have been watching with fingers crossed for fertile eggs this year. Well Viper, you did it! Two young ones have now hatched and we are so pleased to hear of her success. Thank you to the Windsor Fledge Watch team who watched over her as a young one in 2012 and to our friends in Michigan that watch over her today! Great news for Viper!!
Posted on May 10, 2015 9:37 am
May 10, 2015 - Toronto - Don Mills and Eglinton - Amexon
Bruce Massey Reports:
Yesterday I went out for a site check as I know they are due for a hatch based on observations back at the end of March. I arrived at around 7am and found a peregrine on the DeBeers sign. I believe this was the male. He flew to the ledge shortly after I arrived and landed for just a moment before taking off again. A quick check it would appear. He remained roosting on the “S” of DeBeers until just after 9am when he took off, circled over the ledge twice and landed on the ICICI building. Just before 10am he took off again and this time returned to the ICICI building with food. The female, Jenna, came off of the nest ledge, took the food from Chester and immediately returned to the nest ledge. She disappeared into the back of the ledge at 9:57am with the food and came back into view at 10:06am with the remains of the meal. She flew off and stashed it on the DeBeers building and then returned to the nest ledge.
Based on this observation I believe that the first hatch may have possibly arrived at Amexon yesterday, Saturday May 8th, and it was a first feeding that I witnessed. I will be back for more observations soon.
Posted on May 10, 2015 9:25 am
May 09, 2015 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
CPF Postmaster Reports:
Saturday May 9th - 2015
Thanks to Olga for the pic she snapped today that aids to the suspicion that O’Connor may have in fact had a hatch and in her typical fashion, hiding her new family member quite well. I’ll let you decide, what do you see?
Thanks Olga!
She writes:
Is it small little face hiding behind Mom? Or just illusion?
Posted on May 9, 2015 8:21 pm
May 07, 2015 - Niagara Falls
Mark Nash Reports:
May 7th - 2015
A big thank you to Jacquie for her update and news on the Niagara Falls peregrines! Pretty amazing photos given that they were taken with her camera phone through a spotting scope eyepiece,, (at some very long distances I might add), from the USA side of the Niagara gorge!!
Thanks MUCH Jacquie!!!!
Jacquie writes:
Hi Mark,
Happy Peregrine season! I hope all is well with you.
I just wanted to pass on some info for the Niagara Gorge nest. I was there on April 29 and witnessed a “changing of the guard” at the nest, with the male flying in to take over for the female. I was there again today and the female was sitting tight on the nest, so they are still incubating. The nest has moved again this year, and they are back in the old nest hole, in that lovely nesting tray you guys built for them a couple years ago. So they are nice and observable again this year. I attached two of my photos from April 29. They are not the greatest quality; I took them with my phone through my spotting scope.
Jacquie
P.S. There is still ice at the top of the falls and on terrapin point!
Posted on May 8, 2015 11:19 am
May 07, 2015 - Toronto - King Street
Mark Nash Reports:
May 7th - 2015
I have some very sad news to report after my site visit today in downtown Toronto today. A huge thank you to the Dream management group and security for allowing me access to the 8 King Street facilities. This viewing perspective from this building gives us an opportunity to get a detailed look of the upper west ledge elevations of the 18 King street nest building, one that is virtually impossible to see from the west from any other location, (other than the # 8 King street building) given that the entire west view is blocked by the close proximity of the other buildings to the west.
While there are still just as many questions that remain, we do although have answers to several of the most important questions that everyone has been asking.
Today, I spent close to an hour watching Stormin (the resident adult male at the Toronto Downtown King street nest site) guarding, protecting and watching over Erin’s partial remains on one of the upper west ledge elevations of the 18 King Street nest building. A very sad event to watch, one that actually brought tears to my eyes. I must admit, that I couldn’t help feel the lose myself. A truly heartbreaking observation.
At my arrival, I quickly spotted an adult peregrine on one of the upper west elevation ledges of the nest building in what appeared to be involved in brooding activities, as the adult peregrine was incredibly unsettled, standing, laying down, standing, turning, laying down, wings partially opened, then closed, then open again, turning around and laying back down. This carried on for close to 15 minutes,, (and the peregrine did an excellent job concealing what ever it was protecting / covering) as we didn’t get a decent view of what it was concealing until much later.
The sun was high in the sky, slightly to the west, and shining directly on the upper ledges where the peregrine was observed. The bird was panting heavily and was obviously very very hot as a result of the sunlight that was flooding the west elevations and ledges.
Bingo! I thought I had finally been able to answer at one of the most often asked questions these days with regards to Erin’s whereabouts. We highly suspected that she maybe have moved to the west side upper elevations of the nest building and either incubating egg(s), or at this late stage of the breeding season, brooding recent young hatchlings!
The longer that I watched, it became more obvious that the peregrine I was watching was much smaller than a female peregrine, and looked like a male!! After closer examination with the binoculars, it became quite apparent that the peregrine I was watching was in fact a male, (not a female), and non-other than the resident adult male- Stormin,, (now clearly identified by his Solid Black band number 30 over Y),, as it became visible during one of the many twists and turns.
It had also become quite obvious that this peregrine was brooding something with a real determined effort to conceal it from both our view, and protect it from the hot blazing sun that was flooding the upper ledges. For more than 20 minutes we watched Stormin attempt to cover-up a sizable gray object that lay underneath it.
I was fortunate in that we were able to utilize a vacant office suite and simply look out through the suite windows just slightly above the ledge level over on the King street nest building. (This as opposed to having to go to the upper roof elevation to make my observations).
It wasn’t long after my arrival, and after witnessing the above events, that I realized that not only was the peregrine that we were watching not a female, but actually Stormin (the resident adult male), and too my horror, that Stormin was actually protecting the partial remains of another adult coloured peregrine,, (likely the remains of his female mate - Erin) given his overall determination throughout my hour long visit.
It was also quite apparent that the deceased peregrine he was protecting and attempting to shield from the hot sun had been plundered and partially eaten as there was a large percentage of its body missing, with hundreds of smaller feathers spread out all over the ledge - (end to end).
For close to an hour, I watched and photographed Stormin move around and overtop the deceased peregrines body, with his back to us and his wings spread open in an effort to cover it from both us and the scorching hot sun.
On two different occasions, he laid down beside the body, with his beak resting on its back while he remained motionless for several minutes at a time.
On several other occasions we watched Stormin gingerly stumbled and move around the body with closed fists so as to not to cause any damage to the carcass with his sharp talons,, (very similar to the way that incubating and brooding adults move around when they are on eggs and / or have young hatchlings). On several occasions, while he was laying down beside the carcass, he vocalized at its lifeless body.
Again, I must admit, the entire event was truly heartbreaking to watch and I couldn’t help feel Stormin’s distress and really couldn’t watch any more. It was during the third time as I watched Stormin laid down beside the carcass and rested his beak on the head of the remains that I had enough and I packed up and left for the day.
I have refrained from posting the more graphic photos and photo-shopped out some of the more gory part of the images and hoping that my observation report will suffice to explain (in-part) what has taken place.
It is worth noting that the “bright red flesh” that we observed on the carcass - (as opposed to a dark red or black coloured flesh that is consistent to long exposures to the sun and air), tells yet another part of the story and some evidence of the timelines, in that the peregrine carcass was very fresh.
After speaking with Linda later this evening, it would appear that she saw both Erin and Stormin this past weekend. While the cause of her demise will likely forever remain a mystery, there is some comfort knowing that she was obviously still with Stormin on site at a familiar place, one that she has called her home for the past 14 plus years.
Posted on May 8, 2015 3:13 am
May 07, 2015 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Lisa Reh Reports:
On Wednesday, May 6 just after 2, the 4th egg was still nestled in with the hatchlings.
Today, at 9:00 this morning, Karen reported that Mystery left the nest and there were definitely 4 babies in the nest. Shortly after she returned with a meal for all. Sometime between Wednesday afternoon and this morning the fourth fluffy chick broke free of it’s shell! Better late than never little one! Caster arrived later with more food but ate most of it himself and took the package away. At 9:29, the babies were all huddled together for a few minutes until one of the adults came back at about 9:38. The protective parents aren’t leaving them alone for long!
Later on in the afternoon, at 3:30 Mystery flew out again leaving the fledglings alone for a few minutes and came back with a blue jay. She plucked out pieces of it and gently offered it to the little ones. The four hungry babies were wobbling on their small bodies and big heads to get their portion of the meal. Feeding continued for a few minutes and then Mystery took the blue jay out of the nest box and came back a few minutes later with the blue jay. Caster came in and covered the young ones and fussed with them a bit. Again Mystery left and came back with the blue jay. And a third and fourth time she went out and came back but this time it could have been another blue jay, as it looked a little fresher. This went on for over an hour. After the numerous feeds and fussing from Caster and Mystery the little ones final conked out after all the food. Caster is very good at stepping in and covering the babies as soon as Mystery leaves.
Posted on May 8, 2015 12:23 am
