June 15, 2019 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Your well wishes were well worth it! That’s a lot of W’s. It would seem that Amanda heard all of your positive thoughts and comments today as Bruce has now officially scaled back the MEC watch to spot checks and it was seconded by Winston tonight. This morning Amanda made a flight from MEC 3 that landed her back on the nest ledge and she was on top of the nest box screaming to the world about her success. The parents were down at Burnhamthorpe and Hwy 10 with Drago so were not a part of the party at the time of her flight home. Not to be left out of a good time chowing down on breakfast, Amanda took another flight that took her out past MEC 2 and Bruce found her on a roof top with the rest of her family down at the bottom of Robert Speck Parkway and Burnhamthorpe!! The rest of the day she spent cheek to cheek with her brother Drago, enjoying lunch with her mother Midnight and flights accompanied by Renegade to other rooftops. Her flights were excellent and landings…well, we shall work on that! Bruce left the family down at the Robert Speck apartments in the late afternoon for a well deserved night at home and a reset for the next adventure to come. Winston headed down this evening to check out the family as both he and I were amazed to hear this news from Bruce. A bird that has been in a carrier three times, released three times and in between was underwhelming in her activity was now a flying ace. He wanted to see it for himself and see it he did. Winston was blown away by the increased level of confidence and skill in Amanda. Even though she still has lots to learn and many skills to master, Winston agrees that the first flight dangers for these fledglings has passed. Thank you to everyone that helped out with this watch, most of all Bruce and Winston. A huge thank you to Jacob and the crew at Paragon Security for the help in gaining access to release Amanda and to the amazing hosts that are MEC. The owners, tenants, staff and management have been so supportive and we can’t thank you enough, Congrats to Midnight, Renegade, Amanda and Drago on a great nesting season this year.
Posted on June 16, 2019 11:54 am
June 16, 2019 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Just got a report from Bruce and I am glad and astounded .
Bonvoy (confirmed blue tape) survived his fall! He is sitting on a ledge on the Four Seasons for Preforming Arts about 40 feet up running the ledge. Not ready to fly yet but he has a full crop so mom knows where he is and is looking after him. He has areas he can duck under to get out of rain and take shelter so he is safe at this point.
He is running back and forth the ledge and looks fine, lost of energy. We are just waiting to see if he does some wing flapping now to confirm the wings are ok but he has loads of energy and assume if just fine.
Tracy is going to drop by and have a look as well and take a couple photos so stay tuned for those and further updates.
Thanks so much Bruce !!!
Posted on June 16, 2019 10:40 am
June 16, 2019 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Marion Nash Reports:
The great team of fledge watchers in Kitchener have been on site keeping an eye on the chicks and I am happy to report that so far all the chicks are still up high and no one has come to ground. here is the latest report from this morning.
Everyone has been in the air. Kawhi has been most active and able to get himself around and even out of trouble spots. He’s definitely a star like his namesake. Jupiter kind of slid down the CTV dish and wound up in the roof. He then took off and tried to land on the tower and fell a bit. He’s on a beam from tower over to just below CTV roof about 5-6 metres above the ground. He should be able to get back to the roof but he’s staying put for now. Hemera is on a platform maybe a third of the way up the big tower. She seems to be staying put for now. Dad and Mom are both close. Dad especially has been exhibiting spectacular parenting this morning.
Posted on June 16, 2019 10:07 am
June 16, 2019 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Sad news to report!
Looks like we lost one of the chicks. Since the early afternoon of the 14th there has only been 1 chick seen on the ledge. Linda has been out twice to have a look and see if the chick was indeed gone from the ledge and it there was a body on the ground but no luck. We suspect the chick was wither blown off in the awful winds we have had or was grabbed by a hawk while mom was out hunting, with only one parent attending the nest this is also quite possible. Since the chick was still so young and did not have the flight feathers in yet a fall from the ledge would not be survivable and who know how far the wind would have blown it as it fell.
Posted on June 16, 2019 9:23 am
June 16, 2019 - Toronto - Don Mills
Marion Nash Reports:
Cathy, Lucie and I arrived at Quest and Mystery’s site to hear that “Red” aka DoHa had come to ground from where she’d spent the night. With Bob, Marion and I positioned with good views of the roof, Mark and Cathy took DoHa up to the 220 roof for release.
She appeared quite soon after, but didn’t really vocalize for a long time, and we didn’t see the parents for a while either. Eventually she called when seeing Quest, but no food brought over.
By this stage her brothers had spotted her, and did some fly overs, settling on the upper roof above her, before continuing with their crazy chasing games, not staying still for long. Super fliers! Mystery gets no peace and quiet now.
With so many theories of where Bobak could have ended up yesterday, Cathy and Lucie walked around the block to check out the lower buildings and shrubbery that we hadn’t had a chance to check the day before. Mystery was on a low building in the direction they walked, and as we’ve seen first-hand, the parents often reveal the location, so why was he hanging out in that spot… No discovery though so they walked back to where Bob and I were watching DoHa, as she’d turtle walked and flapped around the perimeter of the roof retaining wall.
As we grumbled that we might be in for another six or more hour roof watch, rain came through (not too heavy) and DoHa screamed across at her brothers being fed opposite her. We were happy to see Quest bring food over and feed her (a substantial feeding!). She ran and screamed after Quest for more food, but was eventually left alone on the roof for a while. RZee and Matrix flew to join her at some point and we enjoyed some beak kissing between DoHa and one of her brothers. So sweet.
Meandering back and forth then stopping to preen is DoHa’s speciality and sure enough, no flight attempt until 8:15pm! She flew over us, bumped 225, recovered and flew off around the side of 220 building, surprised us again with a returning flight over Valleybrook, then back again towards 220 but losing steam, landing on a hydro pole. Yikes. We had run to see where she might end up, and realized we’d turned the radios off and packed them away thinking she was going to stay put. SO, lesson for today was do not turn off the radios until it’s dark!
DoHa preened and attempted settle down on top of the pole, looking up at a few visits from her brothers, who watched her from a neighbouring building and kept flying over as if to coax her back to buildings with ledges (we noticed they flew in as if to redirect her. Good boys!) Nope, she discovered it’s quite nice to rest against a hydro pole insulator, and probably thinks it’s quite an upgrade from a low meagre parking light! This year, it’s “roof or bust” for this group. They haven’t been on the building ledges too often, but seem to favour all the roof tops or top balconies of the copper building. We’re hoping DoHa discovers that ledges are great fun tomorrow. No sign of the parents of siblings as we closed the watch with DoHa on the hydro pole.
Posted on June 16, 2019 8:27 am
June 14, 2019 - Scarborough - Yellow Pages
Mark Nash Reports:
June 14th - 2019
A quick update on the Linn at the Scarborough nest site. Incubation continues with her second clutch of 4 eggs.
With some blustery cool winds, (and still some very unreasonable cool temps), Linn was still down hard on incubation duties and her mate was still very much providing air cover during my visit today.
Stay tuned, and we’ll do another check next week to see if there has been a hatch.
Posted on June 15, 2019 8:55 am
June 14, 2019 - Toronto - Don Mills
Cathy Kerr Reports:
DON MILLS UPDATE : DAY 7 fledge watch. Sally reports :
Today was a lovely day weather-wise, compared to yesterday! Surprisingly chilly though, because of the biting wind.
I arrived and immediately saw Quest up on her new favourite window sill, one on the nest box and another in the space between the nest box opening and the lip that partially obscures a content lump! Feeling good that I could confirm the two girls in on the ledge I grabbed the rescue carrier, and did a quick scan of the other roof tops and ledges from where I was sat. Nothing. No sign of Mystery, RZee or Matrix.
It was very, very quiet for quite a while. I thought that Bobak and DoHa must have been fed they were very content. I also thought Quest might be there to discourage the girls from flying as it was incredibly windy! I had to pack my camping chair away and hold onto my towel.
About an hour later it suddenly got very noisy. Mystery appeared, calling overhead flying west and was in a tussle of some sort with another peregrine, quite larger than himself. I hoped it wasn’t a female intruder, and rather a juvie chasing him for food and playing which we’ve seen already.
They disappeared behind the trees that hug the corner of Duncan Mill Rd and Valleybrook. The calling also stopped. All was quiet again.
Then a juvie came over 225 above me and attempted to land on the top ledge of 220, bumped the concrete wall of the ledge, rebounded out above me and then to the top ledge of 240. Might have had difficulty judging the landing because he was carrying a bit of food! Definitely something in his talons (could see a dangly bit lol). Probably couldn’t dislodge one food quickly enough to land. Shortly after though he flew to the roof of 240 and stayed there for quite some time before disappearing from my sight as I was back to focusing on the nest ledge.
Quest then took off around the east side of 225. Bobak and DoHa vocalized and DoHa flapped and ran back and forth on the ledge. She hugged the east corner of the nest ledge and a couple of times I thought she was going to slip and accidentally fledge. Then they were back together by the nest box. And Quest flew back in to her window sill (not with any food though).
There were quite a few alarm calls from Mystery and just before Mark and Marion joined me he took off westward.
Not too much happened and Cathy joined us at the front of 225 Duncan Mills Rd. We moved a little east to get a better view of both 240 and 220.
During the quiet period we suddenly noticed a flight. As we realized Quest was still on the window sill we exclaimed “juvie!” And as we realized this, she went out of sight behind those corner trees. Damn. Off we went to see if we could follow her flight. By the time we were at the south west corner she was out of sight. But, as we made plans for me to check the parking lot and area to the west of 220, with Cathy making for the back of 220 and Marion keeping watch on the corner across the street, we saw a fledgling flap flap flapping against the wind, not getting anywhere and coming to land on a parking light fixture. Hmmm, did the fledgling we had set off to follow land on a low ledge then continue to the light stand…OR…did her sister decide she didn’t want to be “abandoned” by her sister and set off to follow? OR did the fledgling get caught up in one of the crazy wind tunnels, whip around 220 and miraculously make it around to the light fixture (we came to realize this wasn’t so).
Now our main focus was on DoHa (we quickly established it was her from the red tape. Now it dawned on us that it was the larger, less active Bobak - with blue tape - who had flown off low!). At this stage we continued to hope that maybe, just maybe, Bobak had stayed in her usual pancaked position on the ledge, one reason being Quest didn’t immediately set off after her daughters. She stayed on the window sill, not bothered at all by what had just happened. She did eventually fly off around the east side of 225.
We divided up the radio walkie talkies, in case she took flight and we had to split up. But nope, she hopped about back and forth on the light fixture for oh, just about six and a half hours!
Some lovely flights from the boys and parents, the parents also circling and circling, over the Betty Sutherland Trail and surrounding woodland, then east, west and south. It didn’t really give us much comfort to see this.
Lucie arrived and Cathy did a through walkabout, especially the car park and exit driveway to the west of 220.
Lucie walking into the ravine to check the trees, and I found a path that hugged the tree line between the messy construction zone at the back of 220 and 240 and the ravine. We figured we had enough watchers to do check the trees and scrub, in case she’d come to ground and was keeping quiet with all the human activity going on, and noise of jack hammers and what not.
Lucie explored the trail path for quite some time, and Marion also explored the area between 220/240 and the ravine, as that was the direction the parents were frequenting with their search.
Trying not to feel to anxious about Bobak we concentrated on DoHa. And finally, FINALLY she took off east then around between 225 and the copper building. Cathy followed, Lucie saw where she went and radioed to tell us where she’d landed. We repositioned with her in view. She entertained us on the balcony railing of the building, by head butting the opaque, mirrored glass window and tumbling down into the balcony. Soon after the hopped up onto the railing again, and then attempted to get onto the outside ledge of the balcony. She almost fell but did a parrot trick by catching herself with her beak and flapping and scrambling back up the outer balcony ledge.
Cathy and Lucie walked to try and account for the male juvies. They alerted us to the parents both flying south east over Moatfield Drive, to settle on the Thales building. We mused on this choice of where to settle (it was now dusk) and wondered if they had found Bobak, or heard her calling. We are full of hope that she is OK and will appear over the next day or two.
Cathy and Lucie had also found where the male juries were, and we closed the watch with DoHa on the balcony wall of where she’d flown, and one parent on the north side of Thales.
Cheers
Sally
Posted on June 15, 2019 12:04 am
June 14, 2019 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Cathy Kerr Reports:
While banding was going on inside, there was much activity outside as first-time mom, D’ARCY, was defending her nest. Lucie got some photos before, during and after banding
Posted on June 14, 2019 11:42 am
June 14, 2019 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Cathy Kerr Reports:
The nest ledge is just outside a window, so Lucie took some photos from this perspective
Posted on June 14, 2019 11:27 am
June 13, 2019 - Toronto - Don Mills
Cathy Kerr Reports:
DON MILLS UPDATE: FLEDGE WATCH - DAY 6:
FROM CATHY: I arrived on this wet wet day to find our ledge potatoes right were we left them last night! I saw some flying over 240 as I was driving up so knew the boys were ok. I hadn’t even gotten out of the car when Quest flew into the nest ledge with a big package for the girls! Big rain was coming and I guess she wanted to keep them there… She stuffed them lol. I just sat and watched them… Knew they weren’t going anywhere soon! Lucie joined me a bit later and we set up, ready for the rain. Found both boys on the roof (Lucie got some great pics-helped identifying them!). Dad got them some food as well… He especially worked at keeping RZ on site! And then it poured…. Everyone stayed put. Good job Mom and Dad! Sally joined us as the rain took a break for a bit. And then repeat… Thunderstorm was on its way and Mom and Dad did the same thing, fed everyone to keep them put and then took cover! Bob joined us at this point and we enjoyed (?) the storm! It was over fairly quickly thank goodness… Just before I left (early tonight
Posted on June 14, 2019 10:59 am
