March 22, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On Thursday, I was out to the William Osler Hospital site to check in on Hurricane and his mate O’Connor and equally as important, to turn on the monitor for the IP camera at this site. Upon arrival, Hurricane was in the south tower relaxing and I watched O’Connor take flight over the ravine to the south and head over to the Humber College area. It wasn’t long before Hurricane joined her and the two disappeared off of the site for over an hour. The female came back first and landed in the east tower facing the nest ledge and decided to take a nap in the afternoon sun. She stayed for about 45 minutes and shortly after she left, Hurricane arrived and took her place in the tower ee-chupping and bowing the whole time. His flights are excellent, balance is good and the swelling I could see above one eye looked almost completely gone. What a tough little guy he is!! No wonder given that he is the offspring of two other very resilient birds, Windwhistler and Wind. After I was completely assured that all was well here, I headed upstairs to the mechanical room to officially turn on the monitor for the season. No eggs in the tray as of yet and hopefully they are not far behind. The image the monitor was receiving from the IP camera was astounding and we hope that the great folks at William Osler will be able to continue to support our efforts here by providing us with access to the internet so that we can bring this incredible image to the world as this site now has a large world wide following. Check back soon for further updates on the progression of the nesting season!!
Posted on March 25, 2012 9:02 am
March 21, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I was out in Oshawa and on a break between delivering Project School Visit to students with Alexandra our Great Horned Owl when the phone rang. It was Marion. She immediately dispatched me to the William Osler Hospital site where staff had witnessed a Peregrine falcon striking the building and the bird was now on the ground in need of help. Marion directed the staff on how to safely help the bird, called ahead to the rehab centre that I was coming and called my school to rebook them. A big thank you to Gertrude Colpus School for their understanding and I look forward to seeing you next week.
When I arrived on site, I found a male in the east hydro tower ee-chupping for the female. I took several pictures and pulled out the scope; it was Hurricane, the resident male, with a solid black recovery band marked 5/X. His eyes were half closed and he had blood on his face. I entered the hospital and sought out Ross with Environmental Services and spoke briefly with him about the incident. He reports that as he and his son Brandon were returning from lunch across the street when they saw two males come around the north side of the building. Hurricane barrel rolled into a stoop and connect with the rogue male. The two, locked in battle, collided with the building. They ran over and Hurricane was on top of the other male and had him pinned to the ground. A moment later, they broke away and the unknown rogue took off leaving Hurricane standing on the ground. He stood there stunned and looking injured while Brandon ran inside and called the CPF head office. When he returned, Hurricane had recovered himself and had taken off.
After hearing the full story, I headed outside for some recon work. I found both adults in the east tower; O’Connor in front and Hurricane three tiers over. O’Connor was whining to him and trying to entice him into the nest tray but he was busy sleeping off his battle fatigue. Within 30 minutes, both adults were flying in and out of the ledge and flying together very well. Hurricane was keeping his altitude, making all landings spot on and while at rest was roosting and balancing well. It would appear that this was a very near miss for our resident male.
Just when I thought all was well, at 3:30pm the rogue male returned and attempted to land on the nest ledge. This time it was O’Connor who had had enough and set to chase this male out of the territory. He picked the wrong girl to tick off. She had this unknown male flying as fast as he could and as O’Connor harassed the male out to the southwest, Hurricane joined in and all three birds disappeared from my sight. All I could do was wait and see who returned.
It was a full half an hour of chewing off my fingernails when finally a male returned and it was Hurricane. A few minutes later, O’Connor also returned and the pair retired to the east tower to rest. At this point all became quiet and the pair relaxed for the first time since I arrived. As I was leaving, the resident pair took off on a hunt and both looked strong and well. I will be back down tomorrow to check in on Hurricane and O’Connor and make sure that all is well and that the rogue has finally gotten the message; this pair is not amused!!
Posted on March 21, 2012 11:03 pm
February 19, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Stopped in at the William Osler Hospital for a check in today and had both adults at separate times on the south facing “H” sign enjoying the afternoon sun. First was the big girl, O’Connor, just before noon preening away the afternoon. By 2:00pm, Hurricane had returned from a foray and had taken up position on the “H” sign as well but by this time, O’Connor was out and about on her own hunt. It was nice to see the two of them back at the site so regularly now. With spring like weather and the day length getting longer, the nesting season will be upon us fast.
Posted on February 20, 2012 10:50 am
January 21, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Our last and final stop in today was at the William Osler Hospital for some time with Hurricane and O’Connor. We couldn’t find the female but as we came around to the south side of the hospital, Hurricane was sitting on the southern “H” sunning himself and preening away. We stayed for a good half an hour watching him. It was nice to see him so relaxed and enjoying the sunshine. Like Jack at Etobicoke Sun Life earlier, the lady of the house was out and he had the place to himself.
A perfect end to the day; a happy and handsome Hurricane!
Posted on January 22, 2012 11:40 pm
January 16, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Here are a few photos taken yesterday at the site of the adult pair. Enjoy.
Posted on January 16, 2012 10:34 am
- All Reports
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Frank and I started a long adventure today at the William Osler Hospital looking for O’Connor and her mate Hurricane. I have been skunked at this site for the last three weeks every time I have popped in so today I had my fingers crossed and wasn’t disappointed. As we drove in we scoured the north and east sides of the building to no avail and then scoped the hydro tower… …no one home. A check of the south “H” sign revealed the two adults on either corner of the sign basking in the sun.
This south sign is their conference center. A spot where the two of them go to get away from the kids and talk about stuff.
It was nice to see them both on site after having missed them severals times and wondering just where they might be. With spring closer to us than further away, I expect to see them more often when I do the west end rounds.
Posted on January 16, 2012 10:24 am
November 13, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On our way back to the CPF Raptor Centre last night, Frank and I popped in to see if Hurricane and O’Connor were home at the hospital. When we initially pulled up, we couldn’t see a bird anywhere. Scanning O’Connor’s hydro tower, we located her sitting near the back section which is usually Hurricane’s spot. Moments later she flew off to the nest ledge and grabbed something that she had stashed there; an enormous pigeon!! She took off and flew around ( with no trouble carrying that huge package ) to the north side “H” with Hurricane, who came out of the nest tray, in hot pursuit. We repositioned ourselves to the north side and found O’Connor gorging on this huge pigeon while Hurricane sat on the opposite side of the “H” sign begging like a juvenile for a taste. He tried everything to get a bite; whine like a child, cutsie head flipping and finally patient waiting like a good boy. O’Connor would not be moved by any of these actions and continued to eat her meal with vigor. Hurricane took off and landed on the northeast corner of the building where he could still see her and allowed her to finish her meal in peace seeing as there was no way he was getting any. Once done, there was some displaying, ee-chupping and fly bys before the two of them took off out of our sights. I cannot stress enough how big and humungatoid a bird O’Connor really is. Sitting next to Hurricane, the pair are obviously very different in size. Its like looking at a cow and a kitten playing together!! Yes, I called her a cow!! Look at the pictures and see why!! All joking aside, O’Connor is a formidable female and its no wonder that she commands the site at William Osler. She has incredible breadth to her chest and a visibly powerful torso. She is truly a member of the warrior class of falcons.
Posted on November 13, 2011 11:21 am
November 11, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Frank Butson Reports:
While poking around the internet,I found this article posted at e! Science News. So all will see it,it is being posted on each of our nestsite pages. This is too important to miss.
The original article can be seen here: http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/04/18/new.pollutants.detected.peregrine.falcon.eggs
Here is what it says:
New pollutants detected in peregrine falcon eggs
Flame retardants are chemical compounds added to fabrics and plastics to keep them from burning easily, but these can be toxic. Now a team of researchers from Spain and Canada has detected some of these emerging pollutants for the first time in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs in both countries. “The presence of ‘dechlorane plus’ and other related, chlorinated compounds used as flame retardants have been detected for the first time in the European biota (flora and fauna of the region)”, explains Ethel Eljarrat, co-author of the study and scientist at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC, Spain).
The researchers have found these substances in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs in both Spain and Canada. The flame retardants are often added to textiles, electronic circuits and other products to inhibit or resist the spread of fire, but can be transferred to the environment.
In nature these compounds are “bioaccumulating and bioconcentrating” all along the food chain, as evidenced by the research published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal. The international research team for this study was led by Begoña Jiménez of the Institute of Organic Chemistry (CSIC, Spain), and Environment Canada researchers, Kim Fernie and Mehran Alaee.
Having received the relevant permits, eggs that had failed to hatch from various active falcon nests in Canada and Spain, were collected. The collection involved 13 eggs from Spain (five in Guadalajara – a territory representative of an inland habitat of the Iberian Peninsula - and eight in Bilbao - representing a coastal environment), and 12 eggs from Canada (Great Lakes Region and Eastern provinces).
The levels of some of the measured contaminants have been found to be somewhat higher in Bilbao than in Guadalajara, and the authors believe this may be due partially to the difference in the falcons’ diet: more aquatic in the former and more terrestrial in the latter. In fact, if fish is highly contaminated, peregrines would accumulate more of the harmful substances. While peregrine falcons do not eat fish, they prey upon other birds, some of which may eat fish.
Selecting the peregrine falcon was no accident. This species was endangered in many areas of the northern hemisphere due to the use of organochlorinated pesticides, particularly DDT, though when this was prohibited in the 1970s the populations recovered. Furthermore, falcons are at the top end of the food chain and accumulate substances carried by their prey.
Highest levels in the Canadian samples
The results reveal that the concentrations of ‘dechlorane plus’ and some of the other chlorinated halogens were “significantly higher” in the Canadian falcons’ eggs than in those of Spain. The reason for this could be that the industry that has manufactured these compounds for decades (although they are now also produced in China) is located in New York State close to the area where samples were collected. In addition, the use of these compounds has generally been higher in North America than Europe.
The researcher acknowledges that the effects that these flame retardants may have on the falcons’ eggs or on their development are still unknown, “but their detection is a first step”. These are emerging pollutants, which comprise both those which have appeared more recently and those that have been used for a long time but are just lately the subject of environmental interest.
Other flame retardants, including some brominated flame retardants, have already been confirmed as toxic endocrine disruptors, and their use has been prohibited in some of the commercial mixes in Europe and America. Furthermore, they are candidates for inclusion on a list of Persistent Organic Pollutants to be eliminated, a list compiled by the Stockholm Convention which includes other pollutants such as DDT or dioxins.
This study forms part of the doctoral thesis submitted this month by the researcher Paula Guerra from IDAEA on “The analysis of emerging halogenated flame retardants and their impact on the environment and on humans”. All of the eggs were analyzed by her during her exchange studies at Environment Canada.
A research group at IDAEA led by Damià Barceló has also confirmed the presence of these compounds in sediment and fish in the rivers of the Ebro basin (Spain). Source:FECYT-Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
Posted on November 11, 2011 5:52 am
November 05, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
During our west end nest site rounds, Frank and I popped in to see O’Connor and Hurricane at the William Osler Hospital today. We searched all four sides of the building and their favourite hydro tower but were not to be seen today. It was a great day to be out hunting and I am sure that the two adults were taking advantage of the fine weather. Both Hurricane and O’Connor are being sighted at the hospital off and on throughout most weeks and usually spend a couple of full days on site reaffirming their commitment to one another. I wil be keeping an eye out for the two of them throughout the peregrine “off season” as last year I was treated to Hurricane hunting right behind our Raptor Education Centre in the open field and at the storm water pond at Rutherford and Weston Rds. Frank and I will continue to drop in on them so check back soon for more updates!!
Posted on November 6, 2011 9:22 am
October 15, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Today we had lunch with “The Girls” and as they were heading back home, they wanted to stop in and visit peregrines on their way. We gave them directions to the William Osler Hospital site and after all of the tales we’ve shared with them about this fabulous pair, they wanted to see them for themselves. They report:
When they arrived on site, both O’Connor and Hurricane were on the east facing “H” sign of the hospital, each on a corner facing one another. The two of them sat in the lee of the winds enjoying an evening roost without the kids. Carol remarked on how sweet and pretty O’Connor looked up there with her dapper male, Hurricane. Needless to say, I have insisted they come back for the 2012 Fledge Watch to see this pair in action and witness what wonderful peregrine parents they are!!
The three young have been away from the nest site for quite some time, fine tuning their skills in preparation for their great flight south. As Frank has reported to me from his hawk watch, many peregrines are on their way and I suspect that Wind, Rain and Storm have headed towards the border by now. We wish them a good journey and look forward to seeing them possibly raising families of their own someday!
Posted on October 15, 2011 7:08 pm
