Artemis & Casey are getting ready!
June 08, 2020 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Lisa Reh Reports:
Saturday, June 6
All babies are feeding well. Karen, Kim and Tim reported.
Sunday, June 7
Heather reports “I arrived around 11 or so. All kids in the box and the parents have mostly been around too. One of the boys was getting into some semi serious flapping around noon. Hope was quiet and the other boy flapped a little bit. I couldn’t confirm the band colour of the flapping bird. No food has arrived since I’ve been here. Mystery just came back empty taloned and now Enigma as well. Both parents left around 12:30.”
Christine reports:
“I have been at the parking lot for the last two days in the am for about 2 hours and I did not observe any feeding going on either day. Yesterday, the chicks were quite vocal, but no food arrived. Mystery was on the tower. Today, both parents were there flying around and were doing a lot of squawking. They were both on the tower for quite a while. No food arrived.”
Micah, Joy, Martha & Lisa were watching in the evening. Micah reports: “Had a bit of action today! Still couldn’t see the bands very well, but one of them was out on the balcony flapping for about 30 seconds. Enigma dropped of some sort of food as well. Maybe we will see more flapping soon.” Micah also noted that there was a lot of down flying out of the tower at one point and the chicks have relatively little snowy down left. Amazing what a few days and heat will do!
A flock of gulls swirled around the Sun Life tower in the distance and some geese flew fairly close to the nest site and quickly veered away. The sun made it very difficult to watch as it shone right through the tower. One of the adults brought in some food to the top of the tower but wasn’t sharing. At one point one of the adults swooped down after a songbird that flew close to the tower, the lucky rascal got away!
Monday, June 8
Fraser reported: “I was at CTV this morning from 7:30-8:30.
Two youth were visible at edge of nest box, one vigorously flapping for approx my first 10 min. One adult was also present most of the time and escorted a Turkey Vulture out of territory.
Not much other activity. Quite quiet as well.”
Micah reports: I got here at around 11:00, and didn’t really see much activity until about 40 minutes ago. Around then I saw some rather vigorous flapping from Casey a few times, and someone else was flapping too, but I couldn’t see their band. Enigma came around about 20 minutes ago, and circled the tower a few times, and it looked like he was trying to get a fledge to happen.
The youth all have almost all of their down gone, and are tearing apart some of their own food now.”
Kellie noted: “Our little male nestlings can transition to fledglings as early as 35 days of age, and Hope, our single female nestling, as early as about 40 days of age. It could be this week! I think Artemis and Casey are about 35 and 34 days old right now, so could be soon for those two.”
Tony reports: “It’s 8:00 pm and very quiet right now. At 7:28, Enigma arrived with a package and was prepping. Mystery showed up 5 minutes later and she took the package from him on the tip platform. She flew around, landed on the rung at the tip platform and waited, coaxing while the baby grins all screamed for 10 minutes.At 7:40 Mystery took the package to the babies and they ate. They are very quiet now. Mystery is in the middle of the tower on the north side. No sign of Enigma currently.”
David reports: “hopped over to the semi-circular metal frame ‘dish’ sort of antenna that’s next to the box, (where one had been sitting for a while earlier) and then suddenly took off. It headed first for the Hospital, and then for Waterloo, landing on the Sun Life tower sign. At one point after a bit I saw what looked like two small raptors off in the distance to the North East, could have been our Falcons, but wasn’t sure. Then after a bit one arrived with a meal, landed first on a top rail, then took it down to the upper platform to prepare, and possibly munch a bit - I could only occasionally see it’s head from my vantage point on the Hospital parking garage.
At about 7:00 PM it brought dinner down to the box and fed them for a bit. Then it suddenly took off with the remains, flew around with it a bit, and finally took it back up to the upper platform. I get the impression that there’s some definite teasing/coaxing going on. 
After a couple of minutes it flew down to the outer railing of the lower platform, on the NW (Waterloo) side. Then at about 7:12 it flew off, I think checked me out on the garage first, then flew off towards Kitchener downtown.”
