February 02, 2013 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Bruce Massey and I spent some time this weekend checking in on things at the William Osler Hospital. As you know, Hurricane has not been seen since Dec. 22 when he was last confirmed on site and the male now hanging around here is Casper from the Hilton Garden Inn territory.
When I arrived, I found Chessie in the east tower on the very top in the middle of the tower. I checked in with security and then out to the parking lot for a look and some pictures. She had a very full crop that she was working on digesting and usually in “squish the food” mode, the birds are more relaxed. Not Chessie today. Her head was swivelling madly behind her to the east and then it she would swivel back around to look southwest. This went on for several minutes and as Bruce arrived we remarked how uneasy she looked. Boom!! She was off like a shot to the east on a very serious mission and disappeared from sight. It wasn’t 5 minutes and she had returned to the eastern end of the tower and was roosting. I snapped some pictures of her and as I was reviewing them, I could clearly see that there was a patch of bright red blood staining her undertail feathers, perhaps from a rather messy meal. No sign of any male at the William Osler site and so Bruce and I left Chessie preening in the hydro tower and made our way down to the Hilton Garden Inn. Little did I know that the staining on Chessie in the photo would play a very important role in what we experienced and came to understand next. The story continues in the post that follows for the Hilton Garden Inn.
Posted on February 4, 2013 10:00 am
January 15, 2013 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I stopped in for a quick site check at the William Osler Hospital to see what was happening today at the site. I was unable to locate any peregrines on the building or in the towers to the east, north and south. I will continue to check in and keep you updated as events unfold.
Posted on January 16, 2013 10:52 am
January 15, 2013 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
As the William Osler Hospital site is close to the Raptor Centre and easy for me to get to, I stopped in briefly on both Sunday and yesterday for some quick observations of activities. On Sunday, as I pulled in I found Chessie in the east tower on the third pillar eating. As she plucked and ate, Casper flew off of the nest ledge and landed in the first pillar closest to the building and began to whine. He was begging, not chupping, in the hopes of getting a morsel of food. Chessie didn’t budge and aggressively tore into her food. The entire time she was eating, her head would snap up every few seconds and glance to the south. There was something in her vision that she clearly wasn’t trusting but she continued to eat without interruption. After a minute or so, Casper gave up on trying to beg for food and sat quietly in the first pillar of the tower preening.
Yesterday I arrived late in the day as the light was growing dim and spotted a peregrine on top of the eastern pillar of the hydro tower. It was Chessie and once again she was aggressively plucking and eating giving me a sense of unease. She would pluck, then look south, then pluck, then look south… …each mouthful of food was followed by an intense look in that direction. She was definately on guard. Casper was nowhere to be seen.
Chessie is now prepping and eating her food on the very top of the hydro tower. This is not her usual spot but it is the best vantage point for her to watch the area. I will continue to watch and report.
Posted on January 15, 2013 9:36 am
January 14, 2013 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On Saturday, Bruce Massey and I decided to go out and check out some of the west end nest sites and see what pairs were up to. We started our tour at the William Osler Hospital where Hurricane and Chessie have been hanging around more often lately. When we arrived, I had a male peregrine on the nest ledge and the female had just flown up to the east tower. I started snapping pictures of the male on the ledge and stopped to take a minute to review them. To my dismay, the male in my photograph staring back at me was not Hurricane. The solid black recovery band could clearly be read and I recognized it right away. The band read 35 / Y and belongs to Casper, a 2009 hatch from north Etobicoke. Hurricane is 5 over X. Casper had been holding territory and successfully produced at least one offspring in 2012 at the Hilton Garden Inn on Caroga Drive near the airport. Casper and his mate Claire had both been seen and photographed on Dec. 9th and after scrutinizing the photos I took at William Osler on Dec. 22, the pair then was still Hurricane and Chessie. I have to admit that time stopped for a minute with a wrecking ball shot to the heart when I realized that this male on site was not Hurricane. What?… …What did this mean? I was really shocked.
I set my mind to trying to confirm the identity of the female in the tower. She had just taken a bath down in the valley and was soaking wet and preening. Her position on the top of the tower did not make it easy for me to see her legs as she sat in from the edge. I can say for certain that she has a silver USFW band and a black over green recovery band; this is consistent with Chessie, not Claire. Claire dons a purple USFW band. I have more pictures to review that may clarify the recovery band number for the female but I am confident that this is Chessie. Now, back to the male…
Casper sat on the nest ledge amidst a ton of activity. Work has been going on in the peregrine off season at the hospital to maintain the facility and there were swing stages active at both the southeast and northeast corners of the building. As the stages began to lift, Casper sat and preened without concern. When they reached the nest ledge level, Chessie took offence to this and was off the tower like a shot. Casper joined her in the air but it was more like he was following rather than being invited to participate. The pair circled around the west end of the hospital and then Chessie went into a fabulous stoop over the intersection and both were gone from sight. It was clearly not a coordinated effort. Chessie was the first to return to the east tower and Casper joined her moments later. Chessie sat in the very front ( west ) portiion of the tower and Casper sat hidden at the very back ( east ) portion of the four teired tower. Now HE was soaking wet. He left the tower and flew over to the southeast corner of the nest building where the swing stages were now down and he began to preen and deal with his wet feathers.
I’ve been doing this a long time now but I still left the site wondering what this all means. I have a lot of questions that remain unanswered as our conversation with the awesome and supportive staff on security revealed no incidence of a fight and no other peregrine located during their walks of the grounds. Bruce and I also conducted an extensive ground search around the hospital, hydro tower and medical centre which revealed no sign of Hurricane. Was there a battle? Is Hurricane still alive? Did he wander away, like O’Connor last spring, only to show up somewhere else? So many questions that are ricochetting around in my head. I will be back to monitor just what is going on here with Casper and whether Hurricane re-appears. Hurricane established this site back in 2006 as a two year old and has held it ever since. I will be watching for him and watching this site as I don’t think this is settled yet. My gut feeling and observations today have me believing that this is recent.
I have posted a few of the photos I took on Saturday that revealed this news to me. They aren’t fabulous as they are meant to show that the band number on the male is 35 /Y and not 5 / X. As much as we try to not get emotionally attached to these birds, it is almost impossible given the intense study, time commitment and monitoring that the CPF and its volunteers does. You invariably get attached to someone somewhere. Hurricane and O’Connor were my “IT” pair. Together they were unstoppable and as separate individuals, they are absolutely fabulous to watch. O’Connor shocked me with her disappearance and rediscovery last spring. Now Hurricane. Still, anything is possible.
Posted on January 14, 2013 11:14 am
December 22, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
For the past several weeks I have popped in here and there at William Osler to check in on Hurricane and Chessie and have left empty handed each time. Today I finally got a chance to see the pair and what a fantastic couple they are!
Upon arrival, there were no birds in sight. After turning around and starting to make my way out, Hurricane arrived from the east and landed on the nest ledge. He wasn’t there long before he started to alarm call and flew off of the ledge to the south. He was met in the air by another falcon and the two sped of towards the northeast and out of sight. I repositioned and waited.
A few minutes later, Chessie flies in from the east and she is battling the winds to make it home with her present; a huge pigeon. Hot on her tail feathers is Hurricane and the two fly up to the eastern “H” sign and land. Chessie takes a minute to re-balance and Hurricane sat watching, waiting, and anticipating. Chessie began eating as Hurricane moved to the opposite end of the sign to wait. After about 5 minutes, Hurricane could take it no longer. He put on his “I’m so super cute” face and ran like a little kid down the sign to Chessie. Did I say ran? More like waddled in the blustery winds that were battering the sign. So down he goes ( waddle, waddle, waddle ) to Chessie and is whining like a juvenile the whole way. He stops just short of reaching her and as I witnessed in Brampton with Midnight, Chessie tears off a chunk and feeds him! This chunk was sizable and I am sure that is owing to the superior begging skills of Hurricane. He really is charming and takes after his dad, Windwhistler.
After eating, Hurricane retired back to his end of the sign and Chessie continued to pick away. She really has developed into quite a beauty now that her sub-adult molt is complete. Very little signs of her young age are visible and she looks sharp!! After picking for another 5 minutes, Chessie takes the prey remains and attempts to tuck it in right against the wall at the top of the sign. Hurricane had an absolute fit and a food fight broke out. Hurricane ran over and grabbed the food from her and the pair were engaged in a pulling match. Hurricane won and ate his prize while Chessie cleaned herself up. After a few minutes, Chessie took off alarm calling at a too-close-for-comfort Red Tailed and put on quite an aerial display of prowess. Hurricane looked up once from his meal, figured “yeah, she’s got this” and back to eating he went.
It was nice to see the pair together after so many visits to no avail. While it is the peregrine off season, our non-migratory pairs are often still seen in the territory and using the nest ledge even though it is with less frequency. A great treat and an awesome way to start winter!!
Posted on December 23, 2012 9:11 am
November 01, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On my way back from Brampton yesterday, I thought I’d stop in and check up on Hurricane and Chessie after the blast of wind we had the other day. Hurricane was in his favourite spot on the eastern “H” sign doing his favourite thing, sleeping. The light rain that was falling didn’t bother him a bit. Chessie opted to stay drier and was on the edge of the nest tray preening the day away. My how she has grown up. With a good majority of her adult feathers in now, she looks fabulous! She spent the afternoon taking care of her new outfit and Hurricane finally decided that the rain was interrupting his napping and he took off for the nest ledge. He landed on the southeast corner and moved a little south down the ledge to where the kids at this site always sleep. Maybe a bit of empty nest syndrome for Hurricane!! In talking with staff at the hospital, Tobi and Ossie, the young of this season may a reappearance about a month ago before taking off south. As usual, they were playing aerial rugby tag with one another and creating quite a ruckus. Kids!!
Posted on November 2, 2012 8:27 am
September 02, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Today Bruce and I were out and about in the west end and stopped in at the William Osler Hospital nest site for a site check. Bruce arrived first and found Hurricane at home alone but not for long. Out of nowhere in comes Ossie and Bruce was lucky to witness an aerial food transfer from Hurricane to his son. When I arrived, Hurricane was in the east hydro tower enjoying the long weekend and Bruce had found Chessie in the nest tray playing house. We stayed briefly and then headed off to visit a few other sites before the day became too warm.
On my way back to the CPF Raptor Centre, I stopped in and found Ossie sitting on the eastern “H” sign looking rather dapper. He was certainly watching activity to the east of the building with great eagerness and then suddenly he started whining and screaming for food. After watching him soaring until he was a little dot in the sky drifting in and out of clouds, you would think he was beyond begging for food but if the parents are willing to deliver, he’ll take it!! It didn’t take long for him to become impatient and he was off the sign and stooping the trees just in front of the northeast corner of the building. He came up empty and was looking very unamused at his bare talons!! A moment later, Chessie flew in and made a half hearted stoop at a flock of small birds on Ossie’s behalf but also came up empty. She landed on the southern “H” sign, turned her back to the begging of Ossie and began to preen. That’s exactly how I left them to sort it all out!!
Posted on September 3, 2012 12:15 am
August 12, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Lots of people are out this weekend watching the meteor shower as it is one of the neatest events we get to see in the fall. Today at William Osler, Tobi and Ossie were the greatest show on earth!!! When I arrived, I found a frazzled Chessie sitting on the eastern “H” and could not see, but oh boy could I hear, two distinct juvenile voices wailing away. I found the two of them on the southern side of the building sitting two pillars apart and screaming for food in unison; their trademark. After about 5 minutes of this, Tobi was done waiting and flew around the corner and stooped Chessie knocking her clear off of her perch. Chessie flew around to the north and circled the building with Tobi right on her tail. As they came around to the south side, Ossie joined the chase and now both juveniles were chasing Mom in circles around the nest building. After about 4 revolutions, Chessie broke off and headed north and the two kids landed on the north ledge of the building. Tobi had ants in her pants and couldn’t sit still for more than a few minutes as she would fly off and pull maneovers that I would swear only a more seasoned adult could pull. She would turn into the wind, hover off of the ledge for a second or two, swoop around the building just inches away from the face of it and then stall and land on a roof antenna. Ossie then took off and landed on the northern “H” sign and was content to play with “gack” that he found up there. Tobi took off of the antenna, flew around the building to the south and came in overtop of the building into a short stoop on her brother. Twice she circled the building and swooped up to land right on top of Ossie which of course made him scream. He didn’t like this game cause he wasn’t winning. She took off of the sign with Ossie in hot pursuit and as she tried to land on the northeast corner of the roof, Ossie came in fast behind her and tried to grab her by the tail. She didn’t like THIS game cause SHE wasn’t winning. And so this incredible daredevil stun / comedy show went on for another 20 minutes that had me laughing pretty hard for quite a while afterwards. I left the two to their antics with the promise of my return to video tape this mayhem because words do not do justice to the display I witnessed today. It was the greatest show on earth.
Posted on August 15, 2012 12:42 am
August 11, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Bruce Massey Reports:
After spending a portion of the morning at the Hilton Garden Inn nest site, I decided to try my luck at William Osler as the proximity of this nest to the Hilton is quite close. When I arrived, I found Hurricane preening on the eastern “H” sign but there was no sign of the kids or Chessie. Tobi and Ossie have been flying so well, its not surprising that they are out practicing!! It was nice to see Dad was at home manning the fort!!
Posted on August 15, 2012 12:30 am
July 30, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Yesterday was a great day for west end nest site rounds and so I was off to visit with Hurricane, Chessie and the two fledglings at William Osler. I was joined by Bruce Massey for the afternoon and we decided to meet at the site. He beat me there and found the two young ones and an adult on the north side of the hospital not really doing much. When I pulled in, that’s when all the action started!! Chessie flew off and came into the nest ledge much to the chagrin of Ossie and Tobi. They wanted to know where she was going and what she had and screamed hoping they would get something out of it. Chessie had other things on her mind as her mate, Hurricane, flew in moments later with food for her. The two adults entered the nest tray with lots of chupping and bonding talk. Hurricane stayed with her in the tray for a few minutes and then left to the hydro tower for a nap. Chessie remained in the tray to eat her gift and do some housekeeping in the tray. The two juveniles were still on the north side; Tobi on the sign and Ossie on the northwest corner. Tobi took off of the sign and joined her sibling on the retaining wall but the pair didn’t stay long.
The first off was Ossie, soaring in lazy circles above the hospital. His circles began to get wider and higher as he explored the use of thermals. At one point I lost sight of him and asked Bruce if he still had him. Yup, up in the clouds. I asked where and Bruce told me he was in the big one. I looked and found a little, dark dot soaring in front of a huge fluffy cloud. Ossie was so high up, he was a DOT!!! He just kept going higher and higher until he disappeared BEHIND a low cloud. My first thought was, “Get down from there before you hurt yourself!!”. Bruce laughed at me and we then watched Tobi launch herself into the air. She did the same as her brother (she copies everything he does), starting out with low lazy circles and eventually soaring with him at a ridiculous elevation where all I could see was TWO DOTS. The two juvenile peregrine dots now soared over towards the Woodbine Racetrack and out of our sights.
What can I say. The kids at William Osler are doing very well. The flight display they put on today was incredible-stupendous-fantastic-amazing-are you kidding me!! They young ones here still have so much to learn from their parents about being a peregrine but they are definately learning very quickly!!
Posted on July 30, 2012 11:23 am
