CANADA SQUARE Raptorette Rescue
July 01, 2019 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Today I was down early to the site to check on Raptorette after her release the night before. When I got there I had no one. Nope, no one. No parents, no bratty boys and no Raptorette. Ok. Search is on. I took a slow walk over from Duplex across Eglinton towards Yonge and then south. Well I’ll be if I didn’t find Raptorette on the mezzanine level ledge on the east side of Canada Square! Now this position is quite low but it could be worse. The spot is not a total write off for another flight but it is in a sort of canyon created by the buildings. She’s got options so long as she makes good choices and doesn’t…ugh!! Slip…a ledge hop and walk that didn’t work out at all. She fluttered down to a small ledge right above the Scotia Bank; the same spot she was rescued from two evenings ago by the local community. Why she needed to show me her previous rescue location I’ll never know but here she was a mere 10 feet above the sidewalk and the entire ledge was covered in pigeon spikes for whole length. The spikes are bendable and not sharp at all. They are meant to deter nesting, not injure birds. For her they were hampering her ability to open her wings and find good footing. At this point, with traffic screaming past me on Yonge st, I called Bruce for back up. While I watched two amazing members of the community joined me that were keen to help. Their names escape me at the moment as I am too tired to even remember my own!! They took the west side of the street where she was and I gave them instructions of what to do if she came to ground on their side. I positioned myself on the edge of the road at the construction line on the east side so cars saw me and thinking I was trying to cross, they slowed down. Slowed enough that I could make an emergency stop of traffic as it looked like this was going to be a street rescue. The goofy bird walked south, navigating the bending spikes up her rear, between her toes and under her wings. She walked all the way south until she ran out of ledge and just before Bruce could get out of the subway she flew. She came out low over Yonge Street and just barely cruised over a car on her way south. She tried for the low roof of the connecting causeway between the Canada Square towers and came up short clinging to the wall. That meant we needed to go at this again. I was now in the thick of the street and it all happened in slow motion. She let go, dropped a few feet and headed for Yonge Street flying east. She dodged a second car and landed on the retaining wall of the Minto towers mezzanine after which she plopped down into their gardens. A tenant came out and found me in the street just as Bruce arrived and offered to take me up. Yes please. Thanks to Todd I was able to grab her and get her into a carrier. Canada Square community, you are brilliant. To the folks that helped and were prepared to do whatever we reasonably could for the safety of Raptorette I thank you with the most heartfelt and greatest of respect for all of you. You were amazing!! Thank you once again to Canada Square building management for pulling out all of the stops for this family, Paragon security for being the best support for us watchers and all of you for your kindness and support. She’s back on the ledge and we’re back at it tomorrow!! Photo taken by me, Tracy Simpson
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