More catch up!
July 04, 2021 - Toronto - Don Mills and Eglinton - Amexon
Cathy Kerr Reports:
DON MILLS /AMEXON FLEDGE WATCH 2021 : DAY SEVEN…
Sally and I were up at the crack of dawn and arrived very early. We checked out the building ledges, no Flynn. So we decided to drive over to where she was last night as you get a great view of the area. We drove in, with Sally in the back, with her bins checking it out. We saw nothing, so as we were driving out, Sally said wait, back up. No problem! We immediately saw a bird on the church roof.. Yep it was our girl, chowing down on breakfast! Yayyyy. So that’s where she ended up last night. And this was confirmed by two lovely ladies who live close by. They saw her come in last night! Wish we hadn’t been so tired, we might have drove around some more. Oh well. She looked good though her Beak was a bloody mess from breakfast and it took her over an hour to clean up lol. So we watched her for a while then, as we were tired, we headed home knowing that she was fed and safe. We were coming back to close so we’d see her then.
Bruce decided to come and check on her and she was still on the church roof. So he left and came back for the evening watch. He got here first and saw Flynn fly off the church as if to nest building but hooked north, and yup, landed back on the same building across Eglinton as yesterday, just on the highest level. Sally and I arrived shortly after, and watched her from the same spot as yesterday while Bruce watched her across the street. Dad flew over to tease her with a package and try to get her home but nope. Near 9pm Sally and I headed back to the nest building. At 915 she was off, going southwest and out of sight. Sally was off to Eglinton… Where she found her on the lower roof of the building southwest of where she was, still on the other side of Eglinton. But she had gained a bit of altitude, so good. And there she stayed. Thank goodness as the fireworks started around 930. Ugh. Hate them. But she was in a business area so none too close. She stayed very put. We watched til 10 and there we left her. At least we know where she is and that she is safe. Unfortunately rain and thunderstorms are supposed to start around 3am and continue all day tomorrow. No breaks for her. We’ll see what tomorrow brings….
DAY 8
AND SHE’S HOME!!! Finally, after 8 long days of so many ups and downs, flying out of 2 trees, onto parking garages, through said garage, ledges high and low, onto different buildings(some twice), flying at night(and a big flight too), surviving listening to fireworks and almost starving to death, she made it!! Whoohoo. Sally and I are so relieved and thrilled. I think she’s pretty pleased with herself too. Sally’s report below tell the story. I went by this morning to find her where we left her last night. Dad dropped her a package and she had barely started to eat it when her mother swooped in and took it! Ate it right in front of her…and Dad! Is this her inexperience? Or was it a lesson–don’t give up your food! She doesn’t have a sibling to fight over food-both fledged by accident(I think) and poor Logan didn’t make it. Anyways, she didn’t get much. I left shortly after..we weren’t spending the day watching her stay put.
I arrived early in the evening to, yes, find her where I left her lol. I settled in to wait…like other nights, she’d fly near dark. Milli was watching her from the sign. Sally joined me a while later.
Sally reports:
I joined Cathy this evening, with Flynn having spent all night and all day on the same building. She’d been visited earlier in the day, with food, which as Cathy explains, Mom stole! And I was there for the second visit, more food from Chester, this time she grabbed the food from him and mantled it until he left. He flew off to watch from the nest building. Milli had been watching Flynn from the nest building for quite some time, and thankfully she stayed put (but still called out for food, just like a whiny juvie!). When food is brought in, we usually see Mom take it and feed the juvies but we haven’t seen this from Milli. Flynn has never been beak fed since she left the nest, and has had to quickly learn to observe and then tear apart the packages brought to her.
Our biggest wish before close, was that Flynn’s next flight would be back to her nest building or the one next to it, and she did it! Around 8:45, Flynn set off flying. Cathy and I parted, ready to go wherever we needed to. She made for 250 and as she neared the nest building, Milli flew down to chase after and guide Flynn, who looked like she was aiming for the roof ledge, but probably would have batted the wall just below. Millie’s co-piloting helped Flynn circle out and back to do a pretty decent landing onto the top ledge. I foolishly realized I was running down the middle of the street yelling with my arms in the air, confirming yep, Flynn on the top ledge and Milli up above her on a sign. YAY!!!! Finally.
We’ve decided that even though it’s day eight since we started fledge watch, Flynn’s two rescues/roof releases and hiccups mean that she didn’t really properly fledge until a few days ago (day 4). So she has some catching up to do (Milli as well!).
We pulled our chairs out of the car, sat and watched her for a bit (Milli had by now flown off to her favourite bedtime spot: the nest ledge. We found Chester way over on the Palisades.
We closed the watch elated and looking forward to tomorrow to see what Flynn manages to do.
DAY 9:
As we are scaling back the watch(actually today is supposed to be our last day but….) I went over in the morning for just a short period of time to check in and only found the parents. So she had flown off the ledge and I suspect that she was on the nest building roof, pancaked down. I didn’t stay long as Sally and I were coming back in the evening for close.
We arrived to find our girl on the nest building roof, right above the nest ledge where Milli was. Chester was over on the Intel sign. A while later Milli flew off across the DVP. Dad left right after. Milli flew back onto the ICICI letters and proceeded to chow down, perhaps on some cache Dad had left? Then in flew Dad with a package(around 845pm) for Flynn!! Bedtime snack?? He flew back over to the Intel sign. Then strangely, Milli flew off, seemingly to land on the corner beside Dad but turned and flew to the top level ledge on the nest building, calling out like a juvie. This was at 9pm. Late. Chester then flew off south-was he going to get food for her? Who knows as we did not see him return. So now, at 9:15pm Milli took off over the DVP onto the roof of the condos way over there. Please don’t follow Flynn. She didn’t. But she started to flap, flew/hopped over to face 250 and yep, at 9:30pm, flew over there! Nice flight, good landing. But we weren’t done. Nope. Let’s give those two crazy watchers a fright. She flew south, out seeming to head for the condos over there, but no, turned(nicely too) and headed back. We lost her behind 250. Now it was dark. We thought for sure she had either landed on the back of 250 or was coming around. But no, didn’t see her. We drove over to check behind and while Sally was scanning the ledges, I thought I saw something over on the nest building, top ledge. Sally trained the bins on it and yep! Flynn! Whew. What is it with this peregrine who likes to fly in the dark?? I just don’t know. But at least she is high and safe. Milli never budged from her perch way over on the condo btw.
So now, Sally and I just have to go back tomorrow for one more day. See what she’ll do next.
Weirdest watch
And that’s a wrap! Another year, a very different year. I’ve never lost one on the watch at this nest site(after it was over, yes). It is tough, especially since I never really got to see him, just head shots. So unusual. So sad. RIP little one.
BUT, we had one successful fledge… She had a very tough go of it, I’ve never seen that either. The turning point for her was when she came down for the second time, too weak to go any more. Thankfully, Mark fed her that night and then her parents fed her on the roof the next day… And she started to fly. Low buildings but she flew, unfortunately she seems to like flying at dark. I mean, we’ve seen the odd late flight but every night? Lol. Guess it’s her thing.
I want to thank first and foremost, my fledge watch buddy, Sally. She joined me every single day, also had sleepless nights due to this little one but still showed up for her(and me). Thanks to Mark and Bruce for their help, Lucie too. And the biggest thanks to the security at 150 & 250 buildings!! They are the best. They watch out for our family (and me lol) and I really appreciate it. Also to the management of the building, Amexon, for their continued support.
Sally and I will be keeping an eye on Flynn for as long as she is there and we’ll report on her too!
Safe flying beautiful Flynn, stay high
Cathy
Posted on March 21, 2022 7:40 pm
Observation for Toronto - Don Mills and Eglinton - Amexon