June 15, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
The kids are doing amazing. They are red hot flying machines. Today, we witnessed all 5 birds in the air at the same time. Cirrus and Mackenzie coaxing the kids with bits of dinner. “You want this, then you have to come and get it”. Barry actually witnessed a food transfer today between Mackenzie and one of the juvies.
The next few days should bring some amazing aerobatics.
Posted on June 15, 2012 7:05 pm
June 13, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Mark Nash Reports:
June 14th - 2012
To recap today’s events, all three of the fledglings have been successful in returning to the nest box on their own steam, and have clearly demonstrated their ability to both stay aloft and hold their altitude. In addition, all three fledglings have gained altitude and already testing their parents nerves by repeatedly flying to the much taller hydro towers and other parts of the Skyway bridge!
Several very short games of tag (chase me if you can) have already been observed by the fledglings and one is already starting to chase their parents in the air for food.
The resident adult female - (named Cirrus) doesn’t appear to be having any further trouble with her leg/food injury and is landing, roosting and catching food just fine now. Both adults are incredible parents and attending to the “kids” every needs.
McKenzie - (the resident adult male) is still making use of the available food source (the many pigeons nesting in the lift bridge itself), and doing his share of local on-site pigeon control! While I have missed photographing the events, McKenzie is regularly going into the access holes of the steel structure of th Lift Bridge when its in the “UP position” and has been shopping for “fresh young pigeon” . Much like shopping in your local supermarket going up and down the aisles picking your favourite foods. Bill was able to get a serious of photos that clearly demonstrate this incredible adaptation. I truly hope that he will post some of these photos for all to see! Incredible event shots!!
As of today, the official fledge watch has finished as all three of your young falcons have demonstrated their ability to sustain flight and hold their altitude. While their landings are still much to be desired, practice will make perfect as we say, as this will be a learning experience for the fledglings / juveniles over the next few days as they hone their take-off and landing skills. While they will still be solely dependant on their adult parents for food and protection for the next 30 to 60 days, (and will continue to use the nest box on a regular basis), although they will be spending allot of their time on the bridge and hydro towers as always.
The fledglings will still likely be spending many of their nights in the nest box as this still represents “home” and a safe protected place to sleep.
Barring in mind, that all three of the fledglings at the Burlington Lift bridge nest site are males, and as such, their behaviour differs from that of females. Their affinity to the nest box will not be as important to them as it would be to the females. They young males will become far more independent, and much quicker that if they were young females.
As always, the resident adults will still be overly protective (even more so now) over the nest few days as their “children” are now mobile and on the loose.
Think of it as young 16 year old teenage boys with the keys to the family car for the first time! Look out world, I’m here!!!! Foot loose and care free as they investigate and experience their new world!
There will remain a skeleton base of CPF volunteers, local residents and bird watchers that will be checking in each day – throughout the day for the next week to ten days just in case any of the fledglings get into any further trouble, but an organized dawn to dusk watch is no longer necessary. We will of course remain on a 24/7 on call basis and can always and can be reached by mobile telephones.
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all theos that have been so supportive, the CPF watch team and local community support for all of their assistance. A huge thank you to Bill and Sue for their kindness and support and for coordinating the fledge watch, and for their dedication to the cause, the birds, their community and the foundation! A great team!!!!
Stay tuned for more observations and postings…………..
Posted on June 14, 2012 12:20 pm
June 12, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Mark Nash Reports:
June 10th to June 12th - 2012
Apologies for the lack of updates on my part as it has been an aggressive time in the streets as they say with five on-going fledge watches and the overlapping bandings. This up-date will have to serve as a summery of the last few days from my perspective, as my comminuting back and forth from Toronto to Burlington and the time I’ve spent on other watches in between have been mostly a blurrrrr, and with the releases after dark, there have been some late night commutes back home to Toronto each night.
As of Tuesday June 12th, all three of the young Burlington hatchlings can now be officially called fledglings, as they have each left the nest box and taken more than several flights. Although short, all but Crock-pot Jimmy had returned on their own steam back to the nest box,,, but he’s close to that elevation!
At the close of last nights watch - (June 12th), Port Hope had been successful in several short flights from tower to tower (and although still terrible hard landings), he has been successful in returning back to the north tower and the nest box itself. Remembering that unlike most of the other inner city urban nest sites, where other buildings that are typically used as “stepping stones” for the young fledglings to gain the elevation necessary to get back to the nest ledges, these stepping stone buildings are simply not present here. The fledglings have a limited number of places with various elevations to use in their efforts to get back to the nest box elevation. And this nest box is high up in the north tower for these young ones to get back tooooo!!
Carrey had to be rescued once during his first few flights and was released back to the north tower without incident and is starting to look like a real peregrine in flight - (well sort of) 
His landings are equally as bad, (and hard), but he is sustaining / holding his altitude.
Crock-Pot Jimmy as he has now been nic-named, spent part of today (June 12th) on the upper most beam of the Skyway bridge supervising the traffic, where his parents provided him with food and supervision throughout. Despite the fact that he was intimidated by some pigeons earlier on in his stint on the Skyway, it appears that he is quickly learning they present no threat. (It won’t be long before they start to look tasty)!!
By the later afternoon, Crock-pot Jimmy had successfully returned back to the north tower and was occupying a ledge less than 20 feet below the nest box elevation. Dad delivered him food and by darkness, he had settled down on the ledge for the evening.
Stay tuned for more updates and some of the many photos that have been taken………
Posted on June 13, 2012 10:30 am
June 11, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Oh my gosh what a whirlwind we have been on for the last few days. Thanks goodness I have a girlfriend Sally who gets up really early. This morning she beat us to the Bridge. I had gone to the store to get a few groceries to make lunch and Bill had head down to the Bridge. As I was making lunch, my doorbell rang and there stood Sally with a very wet baby peregrine under her arm. When she had arrived at the bridge, Jimmy (green band) was apparently walking the pier and when she parked her car, she saw him take off and try to land on the hand railing of the lift bridge. He couldn’t quite make it and landed in the canal. He started swimming (the wing stroke). She tried to snag him with a tangled up dog leash, and as she was doing so, she prayed that someone would come along. Lo and behold, a fisherman came along and between the two of them, a fishing rod and net they were able to rescue him. Now, Sally has a very wet baby peregrine under her arm and she wonders what to a do now. So she grabs a liner from the dog bed in the car and stuffs baby Jimmy into a crock pot she has and off she drives to my house. She and Bill must have passed one another on the way so she stuffs Jimmy back under her arm and back to the Lift Bridge she goes where Bill and David Williams were waiting with the rescue box and towels. We put him in the garage to calm down. A call was placed to Mark Nash. Mark arrived shortly after lunch and after a quick examination Jimmy looks just fine. He will be held over until this evening when Mark will examine him again and release him from the roof of the Lift Bridge Tower. Thank goodness for Sally and her early rising and the unknown fisherman who answered her prayers.
Carrey spent the best part of the day still on the roof where he was released last evening. Dad delivered a food packet to him there. Around 3:00 this afternoon he decided to fly and with a couple of missed landings had to circle the towers a few times. He landed safely on one of the beams on the Burlington Tower.
Port Hope is still hanging out in the nest box.
My goodness, what will this evening bring.
Posted on June 11, 2012 4:20 pm
June 10, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Mark Nash Reports:
June 10th - 2012 - PM report:
Some time after first light this morning, little Carrey had taken his first flight and ended up on the lift bridge cables. Despite some bumps and grinds on his second flight attempt, he ended up landing on the south tower. His third flight produced a much better landing, but in the end he lost altitude and ended up on a beam on the North tower well below the nest box level.
Yet another attempt, (well sort of), he jumped from the cross beam on the north tower to the upper steel beans of the lift bridge itself when the bridge was in the upper position,, - (not exactly a flight), but a jump. At approx. 5:20 pm he took flight again and flew just above the water in the canal towards and flew towards the Hamilton harbor, veered right and attempted to land on the face of a concrete support pillar about half way up to the Skyway bridge, (this time over land).
Unable to gain further altitude, he was stopped short in his tracks by the face of the concrete column, doing a face plant into the concrete, and clung onto the concrete support column face for several seconds before falling to the ground.
Once spotted, the fledge watch team members caught up with him and he was eventually rescued by Bill moments after he ended up in some leaves and branches in a small tree only feet from the ground.
With the support of the great staff at the Burlington Lift bridge , he was examined for injuries and then released under the cover darkness to the roof top of the south tower without incident.
Meanwhile, his two siblings still remain in the nest box, and have yet to take their first flights.
Both resident adults were clearly visible all day, and very active in hunting and protecting the territory.. Several successful hunts (and kills) were observed by both adults, and several feedings
took place.
Stay tuned…….
Posted on June 11, 2012 1:29 am
June 09, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Mark Nash Reports:
June 9th - 2012
As the oldest juvenile reaches 41 days old today, its still pretty quiet, in that none of the hatchlings have actually taken their first flights. One of the juveniles has learned to jump from the nest box landing platform to the windowsills and back to the nest box landing platform, but given that there was no flight associated with the move, we can’t exactly say it has fledged. He’s cheating!
The resident adult female continues to deal with an injury to her leg, (one that appears to be a foot or toe injury), but seems to have a renewed sense of energy today from what we’re seeing, based on her behaviour of the last week.
She was successful in several hunts in which she both killed pigeons and was able to bring them up to the nest box and feed the kids. While the toe on her right foot still seems extended / dislocated and unable to retract and close it, she is still roosting fine. We did not see her laying down at all today.
Dad is very much involved in catching food, feeding the hatchlings and defending the territory as was quite apparent throughout the days watch.
By 10:00pm, all was well, no fledge, and both parents continued to alarm call and stoop something in the darkness at something under the Skyway bridge further down from the canal.
We never did see what had the adults all upset.
Stay tuned……
Posted on June 10, 2012 11:31 am
June 05, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
CPF Postmaster Reports:
Banding day photos - May 23rd- 2012
Hot of the press, banding day photos!
Posted on June 5, 2012 7:18 am
June 03, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Paul Reynolds reports:
I fished the pier this morning and the little ones are really active now. One was really giving the wing flaps a hard go and their colour is really changing now. I did witness a number of attempts by the parents chasing after food. Mum was finally successful and took the food up to the box and I’m almost sure she just left it there for the chicks to feed themselves.
Paul
Posted on June 3, 2012 11:32 am
June 01, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Frank Butson Reports:
This is a call to YOU! The Canadian Peregrine Foundation will have a fledge watch beginning at the Burlington/Hamilton Liftbridge soon.
If you have a few hours to spare, please join us to help this threatened species. All over our cities, young Peregrine Falcons will be learning to fly. Often on their early flights they come to the ground, usually uninjured. As part of a fledge watch team you will be there to help rescue the newly flying falcon and help the species survive. No experience is needed, a senior watcher will be on site or a phonecall away. All you need is an old towel for a rescue if needed, be able to accept direction and a willingness to help.
Please contact CPF head office at 416-481-1233 or email us at frank@peregrine-foundation.ca if you’d like to help.
Posted on June 1, 2012 4:05 pm
May 29, 2012 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Bill and I spent some time at the Lift Bridge this afternoon. The “Triplets” are pretty quiet. We are starting to see a little wing flapping but for the most part, the boys are out of the sun in the back of the box. Cirrus was hunting from the top of the Hamilton Hydro Tower but was not having much success. Mackenzie, was sitting on the old nest ledge watching Cirrus. He finally took matters into his own hands and went under the Skyway. He walked the walkway between beams 2 and 3, disappeared down behind and the next thing we know he was out with prey. It took him all of about 2 minutes and a lot less work than what Cirrus was doing. It appeared to be a young pigeon, who was just not quite ready to fly. He took it to the Hamilton Hydro Tower to prepare, eating some himself while he was at it, and then took it to the nest box and just dropped it off. I guess they are trying to see if the boys are anywhere close to being able to feed themselves. When we left, neither of the adults had returned to the box to feed them.
Still lots of white feathers visible, but the dark ones are starting to appear. Of course it is really difficult to tell what stage they are at from the ground.
We are off to see what today brings!!!
Posted on May 30, 2012 1:19 pm
