July 06, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
All chicks have fledged and were flying well until this morning. For some reason our rescue carriers were moved and it made for Rob an interesting rescue this morning.
Report From Rob
Fun morning, I found angel sitting on a bench outside the grocery store at the corner of Islington and Bloor. Anyway, Bruce told me there was 2 carriers in the security room. So in I go with Angel wrapped in a towel and there are no carriers. So it was a long walk back to the car. I drove to my house with Angel under my arm, wrapped up. Took her to the bathroom as Angie got a carrier setup for me. I have Angel contained, and we are on our way back to the nest site and I will put her in the security room.
She’s fine in my opinion. Feisty as all get out.
Angle will be released later today.
Posted on July 6, 2023 2:12 pm
July 06, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Bruce watched ANDRE show great flying skills today .. he joined his parents as they kited over the nest building. He also flew north and perched on the condos along Islington. He’s definitely gained confidence. After circling and landing on the condo next to the nest building, he aimed for and made it back to the nest ledge .. where he remained for the rest of the day.
A couple of maintenance guys were on a swing stage working on the adjacent condo, and it caught everyone’s attention. We weren’t sure if the parents would approve or disapprove, but they didn’t look to be bothered by this at all!
ANGEL (green) and CASEY (yellow) were a bit energized and wing flapping, so we wondered if there would be another fledge tonight. Nope. ANDRE showed no interest in leaving and spent the night with his siblings.
Cheers, Lucie
Posted on July 6, 2023 1:54 pm
July 03, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Lucie has confirmed that it is Andre who fledged this morning at Bloor Islington Place and is still on roof top. Mom beak fed him and dropped off food on the nest for the other 2.
Posted on July 3, 2023 3:42 pm
July 03, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Bruce reports
At 10:08 this morning the first chick fledged and flew well around the nest building to the South West side of ADP at roof level. I have checked the webcam and although I can’t see the band colors very well the one color I can usually see fairly well is red and I don’t see that now so I expect it is Andre who flew. Will try to confirm that later.
Posted on July 3, 2023 12:50 pm
June 16, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Thanks to Colliers building management and Sky Reach window washing who have been working with us since 1997 we were again able to extract the chicks and host the 26th annual banding of the Peregrine Chicks at Bloor Islington Place.
We were concerned about thunder storms predicted for the afternoon but luckily John Beals our climber and the guys from Skyreach got the chicks down to us and back on the ledge before the rain.
We had a good turnout of people who came to see their newest additions to the Peregrine family at Bloor Islington Place. There were 3 chick 2 boys and 1 girl. Bloor Islington Place staff ran a name the chicks contest and I had the honor of drawing the names from a bowl for each chick. The 2 boys were named Casey and Andre and the girl was named Angel, congratulations and thanks goes out to those who submitted their names. May they all fly well and stay high, our fledge watch team will do our absolute best to ensure they all survive their first flights which will begin in about 10 days.
Mark Nash from the Canadian Peregrine Foundation spoke to the visitors and explained the banding process and why banding is still very important to help us monitor this important species.
Once again Mark Heaton, Eva Bobak and Glenn Anderson volunteered to band the chicks, without them your banding could not have happened.
Here is the banding information. We put colored tape on the silver US band to help the fledge watchers identify each chick from a distance while we keep watch over them.
First- 585 grams male 21 days old band number C over 46 named Casey with Yellow tape
Second- 765 grams female 21 days old band number 20 Over AB named Angel Green tape
third- 650 grams male 22 days old band number C over 47 named Andre Red tape
Each chick was very healthy and alert.
Environment and climate Change Canada was also on site to take small blood samples from each chick as part of a 5 year study on environmental toxins as the peregrine being on the top of the food chain is one of our best avian environmental monitor species like the canary in the coal mine they are our first warning of harmful toxins.
Posted on June 16, 2023 12:31 pm
May 27, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Banding Day at Bloor and Islington Place has changed to June 15th at 1:30
Posted on May 27, 2023 10:22 am
May 25, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
We just had a hatch late last night and banding day is set for June 15th at 1:30 you may attend or stay tuned for banding information and photos. further information on the location of the banding will be posted soon.
Posted on May 25, 2023 5:37 pm
April 26, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
I have been observing the webcam these days and finally I could see 2 eggs in the nest box at Bloor Islington Place site.
Best.
Erika
Posted on April 26, 2023 11:19 am
April 19, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Well, 2023 has been an interesting as well as emotional time at our local peregrine falcon nest site down at Islington and Bloor.
First was the death of the resident female D’arcy. It wasn’t long after her demise that another female showed up. The new female is not banded.
More recently a new male has come in and taken over. Our long time male, Lucky, has unfortunately been pushed out. Lucky was a Toronto born bird and one helluva dad. We have no idea where he’s gone off to since this younger male moved in on his turf. We just hope he is well and will find a new territory, and mate.
Now for the new male. My Rexdale friends should take note of this. Meet Romeo. He was born at Etobicoke General Hospital up at Hwy 27 and Humber College Blvd in 2017. I probably had my bins on him that spring during fledge watch. Who knows where he’s been the last 5 years but peregrine does mean “having a tendency to wander”. This photo of him bringing in food to the female was taken by my friend and fellow watcher Roger. Thanks to Roger for being able to get photos of the bird and confirming his ID through pictures of his leg band numbers. Roger has named the unbanded female Anne after his wife.
I don’t like these changes but I know this is how nature works. Survival of the fittest, only the strongest survive, blah blah blah. As a watcher, one cannot help but get attached to the birds year after year. I saw some amazing parenting from Lucky and D’Arcy during past fledge watches. Shit that makes your heart jump into your throat as you gasp at what you are seeing, Seeing an adult fly under a struggling juvenile bird, giving it bumps to help keep it from coming down to the busy street below. WOW! Or intervening as a juvenile gets too close to the reflective glass of the office towers, trying to keep its offspring from making a potentially deadly collision with the windows. WOW WOW WOW! As someone who has seen young birds hit these windows. The sight and sound of the strike is unforgettable. It’s heart breaking when you have to recover a dead young falcon. So when you see a parent bird step in and prevent a strike, it is a real whirlwind of emotions.
I hope the two new adult birds are up for the challenge of raising young falcons at this somewhat dangerous nest site. As you can see in the bottom photo, their first egg came sometime this morning. I wonder how many eggs there will be? Fledge watch will be later in the season, if all goes well.
Posted on April 19, 2023 10:21 am
April 03, 2023 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Screen shot from today. the pair is on site but no eggs yet.
Posted on April 3, 2023 12:34 pm
