July 04, 2015 - Mississauga - Holcim
CPF Postmaster Reports:
July 4th - 2015
A big thank you to Lucie who was making the rounds and ended up at stopping in at the Holcim plant to do a quick spot check on Ogden. Despite the challenges with the distances and the sun in her face (and her camera lens), she was able to capture some shots of little Ogden and a parent having a typical family moment.
For all of the peregrine watchers and those parents that have small babies, you know all about these special moments that we’re talking about,, baby screams, parent attends, baby screams, parent attends,, baby screams, parent attends, baby screams and screams and screams and screams and screams, parent attends, attends, attends, attends, attends 
Posted on July 5, 2015 1:11 pm
July 04, 2015 - Toronto - Don Mills
Ann Brokelman Reports:
Saw quest and a juv flying high up in the sky.
Plus one juv on 240 having a snack.
Harder to find all at one time.
Loved watching quest soar and soar from the 401 yo the nest building yo the Don Mills road and back.
She is so smooth and relaxed in her flight.
A true honor to watch her.
Ann
Ann Brokelman Photography
Posted on July 5, 2015 11:00 am
July 04, 2015 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Marion Nash Reports:
July 4th - 2015
Tracy started the watch at 6:30 AM with Typhoon still in the nest and sister Omega still flying high. Although there were some nice flights by Omege on and off all morning Typhoon whs still practising on the ledge.
When I arrived at 11:30 he was doing a little flapping and looked like he was getting ready to go soon.
Later on the afternoon Lance came out to watch with us for a little while and brought a very cool home made telescope out with him he set it up on Typhoon and plugged a small camera into the eye piece which then plugged into a laptop.
We were treated with a live video to watch for about an hour and watched Typhoon flapping and getting ready to go. we were all hopping Lance would get a video clip of him taking off for his first flight. Well Lance wrung the laptops battery out to the last drop and no flight yet but sure got some sweet footage of him.
Thanks Lance this is so cool!
Here is the YouTube link https://youtu.be/w2EbT6ALmoA
Kathy came out to join us in the evening and got to see some more cool flights by Omega and more crazy flapping by Typhoon. Tracy said he is gonna go soon as we watched him climb the walls of the nest ledge and was just getting ready to go herself at about 8:30 when he took flight.
We watched him fly out hook to the north and over Young street past the CIBC building then hook back to the nest building with good height but not quite enough to make the roof. Kathy took off to Young street to go look for him we knew he had landed somewhere up high but where. Tracy went west and then north on Young, I staid put just in case he did not make a good landing and flew again.
By the time Kathy got to Young Street he had made the roof top and called me to say he was fine and made it to the top, Tracy had gone up Young for a better vantage point to make sure it was him she was seeing and not Omega who was at the time of his flight on the antenna of the nest building. Tracy confirmed that yes it was Typhoon he had just missed the roof and took flight again hooked back and landed on the roof where she was able to get a picture with her camera of his band with the blue tape.
We all parked ourselves in front of CIBC for a while until he walked the ledge back to the Duplex avenue side of the building and we packed it up for the night. We walked back to the cars and saw him sitting quietly on the edge of the roof and headed home.
Bruce will be out early in the morning to resume the watch and I will be back for the afternoon.
After things settle down Tracy will be putting together a flicker album of some of her photos and will post the link on this page.
Now the great flights with his sister, mom Haven and dad Malik will begin so bring your cameras and watch the lessons and playtime.
Posted on July 5, 2015 10:35 am
July 04, 2015 - Toronto - Rogers Centre
CPF Postmaster Reports:
July 4th - 2015
Just a quickly update on 2 of the Rogers centre fledglings, as we have received a report from Mitch, who visited the CN Tower today while on his “Edge-Walk” adventure, as he reports that he had two brown hawk-like birds of prey visit the upper edge of the CN Tower today during his edge walk. Mitch describes the two brown raptors as having coloured leg bands, one being Yellow and the other one being Red, along with two other black leg bands on their other legs.
We can only assume by the coloured band description that the two feathered (non-paying visitors) were likely non other than Striker and Chopper, two of the four young peregrines that were produced at the Rogers Centre this season.
As you might have guessed, Mitch wasn’t able to get a photo (as he and the other walkers in the group had other things on their mind, and their hands full) ,, It just goes to show you just what an incredible view that our peregrines have of their surrounding territory!! What an incredible view indeed!!
You can see the Rogers Centre far below in the file copy photo attached.
Posted on July 4, 2015 10:38 pm
July 03, 2015 - International, National and Local News
Mark Nash Reports:
July 2nd - 2015
While a late posting, a great happening never the less! Over the past few months, we have speaking to Barb from the Holcim Mississauga plant about an exciting situation in the making at their Ogden Point Quarries in Colborne Ontario, (between Cobourg and Trenton).
Back in early April of this year, the quarry staff started to see what they though was peregrine activity around the quarry and sent in the first photos looking for us to identify their new resident birds. *(See photo of the two adult peregrines in the tree).
Not too long after this first photo, it had become very apparent to the quarry staff that the two adult peregrines had set up house in a large cavity in the side of the stone wall within the quarry, one that had been used over the years by nesting ravens. (I guess its no surprise to figure out who won this battle) and eventually ended up nesting in the nest cavity)! Sorry ravens 
You know what they say, Location, Location, Location!
So as the story unfolds,,, you can probably figure out what has taken place. The next serious of reports and photos that Barb sent into us (reported to her and taken by the quarry employees over the three months that brings us up to July 2nd), clearly shows the net result of the peregrines activities.
While it would have been most unusual for our native North American peregrine sub-species to nest in trees and stick nests, we are clearly now seeing the result of the mixing and hybridization of our native peregrines with the addition of the many non-native peregrine sub-species that has been introduced into the gene pool over the past 40 years during the two national recovery programs in the USA and Canada, as it is clearly showing just how incredibly adaptable that the peregrine falcon can be!
While it is not that unusual for peregrines to capitalize on just such a great nest site, (being cliff dwellers / nesters), we obviously don’t have allot of high cliffs here in southern Ontario,,, (well until we started building and creating them) like all of the hi-rise office towers, and as with some of the quarries we now have. Man made or not, natural or not, they are cliffs never the less as far as the peregrines are concerned, and with cavities like this one out at the Holcim Ogden Point Quarry, both the ravens (and now the peregrines) have capitalize on an ideal nesting spot, one that offers some ideal nesting situation and an ideal surrounding habitat that both hosts and provides an abundance of avian food sources!
So as the story continues to unfold, as documented by the most recent round of photos and observation reports relayed to us, it clearly shows that the two unbanded resident adult peregrines have been successful in producing three young, !!
Unfortunately, we were not able to band the two young fledglings this season, as the nest location within the quarry is not easily accessible, and by the time that we received the updated photos and observations reports of the adults behaviours, there were already hatchlings that were too old to safely access the nest to band them.
Hoping that the pair return next season and we can get access in time to band any offspring that is produced.
A huge thank you to all of the Holcim quarry staff, and for sharing this great story and fantastic photos!!
Congratulations Holcim Ogden Point Quarry staff!!! Looks like a great situation!!!
Posted on July 4, 2015 2:59 pm
July 02, 2015 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
July 2nd- 2015
Hi All,
We checked the Niagara gorge nest yesterday, July 2, and these pix are from that visit. Today we were silly enough to go again, thinking the July 4th traffic would be tomorrow. Hahahaa! Oh yes! Gazillions of visitors today! These pix are better anyway though they are not great, at least we can see TWO PEFAS in the box.
John emailed Connie at the DEC yesterday to say that he saw a fledge above the nest, up on the top edge. I could not find the fledge today though, or Onyx or Diamond either.
So it would seem that we have maybe three peregrine kids, one may already be fledged and two still in the nest, which is great! We’ll go back Monday and try to get more info and pix.
Vicki
Posted on July 4, 2015 1:15 pm
July 03, 2015 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Marion Nash Reports:
Omega flying fantastically. She has been to the top of Rio Can as he highest landing, she has landed on the antenna on both the nest building and TVO/Canadian Tire.
Typhoon has still not left the ledge although Haven has tried several times to get him going he is still not ready.
For the last 3 days we have had an Osprey cruse through and Mom and Dad have gone after it chasing it off each time.
Posted on July 4, 2015 9:15 am
July 04, 2015 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
It is never an easy post to write when we experience a loss at any site. We watch them as they grow, band and name them, keep them safe during fledge (as best as any human can) and marvel at them as they learn the art of being a peregrine. Today we discovered the loss of one of our stars at Islington and Bloor, Glider had struck a building and was recovered from the west tower mezzanine.
Paragon Security contacted Bruce regarding a peregrine discovered by an office worker down on the lower mezzanine. Bruce called me and not knowing it’s condition we began to dispatch the closest members of our watch team to the site. Rob responded and like lightning was off to the towers to take a look. He met up with security and they took him up to all of the tower mezzanine levels that he systematically cleared. No bird was discovered at that time and so he thanked them for their vigilance and phone call after which he headed off to work. A second call was placed to Bruce that told him a level was missed during Rob’s tour. The security guard missed a section and that is where the bird was. Marion had arrived at Canada Square to take over the watch from me and I headed down to the site.
I checked in with security when I arrived and there was a worker from the crew renovating the west tower exterior at the desk. Before I could go up to the mezzanine he had an important story he wanted to share. He told me that two days ago the big black bird (O’Connor) was sitting on the west tower roof retaining wall looking down. He and his colleague slowly exited onto the roof, usually OC takes off at this point, and walked over to their swing stage. She didn’t stop looking down at the mezzanine area. She was transfixed. When she finally did notice their presence, she took off. The gentleman telling me this story was certain she was looking down at Glider and thought that she looked rather sad. Just the way she was standing and looking down is what made him believe this.
We headed up to the mezzanine and then down to a lower sub roof on the south side where I found Glider who had clearly hit the building at high speed. I recovered him and brought him back for processing.
It’s always great having boys at a nest site as they get going so quickly and seem to do so well right out of the gate. That in part is the problem. They do so well so fast that they get rough during play and cocky in flight. One little mistake is all it takes.
I want to thank Paragon Security and CBRE for their quick reaction, care and attention to Glider. Also thanks to Bruce and Rob for helping to be a part of this recovery effort and everyone at the watch who was a part of getting wee Glider this far. As I left both adults were on site and I did not see the other three boys. We will be back soon to check on them.
Posted on July 4, 2015 8:20 am
July 02, 2015 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
July 2nd - 2015
After my visit to the Mississauga Community centre for their day camp presentation with Nova (one of our feathered educational peregrines), I was able to swing over to Colliers at the MEC nest site and pick up all of the towels that were donated to the Canadian Peregrine foundation in their Towels for Talons drive.
A huge thank you to both Colliers and all that supported and donated towels to the CPF!!!
With an added bonus, just as I was departing, the loud screams of a fledgling falcon rang out from above, and I got a opportunity to photograph one of the adults as it brought in food to the two fledglings high up on one of the upper elevations of the condo just south of MEC #4.
Very nice to see then indeed!
Posted on July 4, 2015 12:31 am
July 03, 2015 - Oshawa - Lakeridge Hospital
Mark Nash Reports:
July 3rd - 2015
A very good day in Oshawa today on the fledge watch, as little Atlas has in fact spread his wings and is flying like an ace!! Throughout the day, I watched little Atlas take many different flights, some short flights to and from various elevations of the hospital, to chasing his dad during some very long flights around the entire hospital facility in a “catch-me-if-you-can” game.
Both adults were on site in attendance and it appears that little Atlas is getting all of the attention (and then some) that he needs! With three different feedings by his parents, it would also appear that he is not under-fed at this point!
After watching him gain lots of altitude on a couple of different flights and land on several higher elevations of the hospital facility with ease, it was quite obvious that he has no problems both holding his altitude (and gaining it) and in no need of our assistance at this stage. While his landings are somewhat to be desired (as you might expect from a fledgling peregrine just learning), and with allot of trials and errors yet to go before he gets it right, I closed the fledge watch and departed for Toronto just after 7pm so I join Marion back on the Canada Square fledge watch. She was alone again this evening and still has her little male yet to fledge.
Posted on July 3, 2015 11:58 pm
