MEC Report June 1st - 2022 First fledge of 2022
June 02, 2022 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
Male fledgling, Black banded C over 25, Red Tape, Named Ishaq
Well folks, it never fails at this time of year,, just when you think that things can’t get more hectic, with the car loaded with all of the banding equipment and the CPF enclosed trailer hitched up to the car, wall to wall stop and go traffic on Hwy #401 and construction and road delays, and an hour from Toronto on route to the Kitchener banding, the call comes in with a report of a fledgling down on the ground at the MEC nest site! Panic! Bruce calls with the report from MEC security to let him know that one of the young falcon hatchlings has come down to the ground in front of MEC#1, on the roadway right out front of their main entrance! Quick action from the MEC security staff and a contractor that happened to be there had them rush to the fledglings rescue and managed to corral the young fledgling into a cardboard box and get him to the fire room inside of the building for safekeeping until Bruce was able to attend to assess the young falcon’s condition.
While we knew that the fledge was going to start very soon, it caught us all off guard. Bruce was in Oshawa and more than an hour from Mississauga,, and we were more than an hour outside of Toronto heading to Kitchener!! Fortunately Bruce was able to get to MEC that allowed us to continue on our way to Kitchener.
It’s always the way things seem to go at this time of year,,, especially when we are still on the road in banding mode and the earlier banded chicks are starting to fledge!!! So, Expect the unexpected, prepare for the worst, and cross your fingers that someone is available that can get to the downed fledgling to do a rescue before the cars, raccoons, foxes, buses, and other terrible things get to them first!
A very good news report this time, the good guys got to the grounded fledgling first! A HUGE THANK YOU to the MEC security staff for their quick action and response to get the fledgling out of harm’s way and safekeeping until we were able to get there to the examination and release. And the closing news, we dropped into the MEC after the Kitchener banding and examined the fledgling again before his release, and all was well. One very energetic,, very feisty peed-off fledgling in very good condition despite his ordeal.
Deemed cleared for take-off after a detailed examination, he was successfully released to the rooftop of the nest building and returned back to his parent’s care!
With that said, I should add that both of his parents were already waiting on the rooftop as I popped up through the roof hatch,, and I must say that neither of them had any kind words for me!! LOL The resident adult female went into attack mode almost immediately and I was bonked on the head twice while trying to get little Ishaq out of the rescue carrier! Thank goodness for HARD HATS!!!! She continued to stoop, scream and dive at me as I very quickly scurried back across the rooftop to the roof hatch and finally got back inside the building out of her sight!
Never the less, despite the hectic day, a very good day all around, with the successful banding at the Kitchener nest site, (no rain, lightning and thunder showers that was predicted), and a successful rescue and release at MEC!
A long 14 hour day for sure,, but its peregrine season don’t you know!
This is just the way it is at this time of year for us all. Wildlife doesn’t take holidays off, and neither do we!
