June 18, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Last night after a time out in the rescue carrier, Storm was given a health check and released to the roof to give this flight thing another try. I can tell you that this little guy has his mother’s charm as he attempted to foot and bite me continuously throughout the release process. This morning, Bruce Massey was on site by 5:00am and could clearly see young Storm donning his yellow tape on the retaining wall of the roof. He had a slight crop visible so the adults had been in to feed him at first light and his sisters, Rain and Wind, were still on the nest ledge and working up the confidence to try flight for themselves. Throughout the morning, Storm remained on the retaining wall and often jumped down to the roof and back up again. It would appear that his confidence had been a little shaken by his ineffective landings and he was happy to remain right where he was. I should tell you that Hurricane, the resident male, has absolutely run out of patience for the lack of flight time by his young. Just after 12:00, he took to the air and circled around to the west. As Storm sat on the edge of the wall on the east side facing out, Hurricane came bombing in behind him and buzzed right over top of his back by no more than an inch. It was a clear attempt to spook him off the ledge. The chick was caught by surprise and ducked at the last minute; the plan had failed ( drat!! ). Within a half an hour, Hurricane tried a different tactic; a series of stoop bombs that were close enough to the juvenile to instigate flight but Storm had the fine art of ducking down to a science. Both parents then tried the “come fly with me” soar about and still no movement by Storm. That was it, O’Connor had just about had it!! Off she went and returned with a huge package of fresh food that she took to the “H” on the north side. Storm ran the perimeter of the wall until he was positioned just above her and she took off leaving the food displayed in front of him on the sign below. Irresistible!! Within minutes he was airborne, circled around the east side and successfully landed back on the roof on the south face. He ran the ledge until he was right above the eastern nest ledge and made an attempt to fly out and into the ledge; not happening, must adjust trajectory. A second try and some “put the breaks on” back flapping and he was in to the nest ledge!!! The running, screaming and jubilant Storm raced over to his sisters, tapped beaks and then passed out cold on the ledge. Good job Storm for making it home!!
Posted on June 18, 2011 7:33 pm
June 17, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I dropped Frank off at William Osler today to man the watch while I travelled downtown. For the better part of the morning, all was quiet and the three juveniles opted to stay out of the sun by hiding behind the eastern “H”. At 12:30pm, I returned to retrieve Frank and take him down to Etobicoke Sun Life to relieve Kathy and Baylie, two incredible ladies that have been instrumental in making the Sun Life fledge watch such a success, and promptly turned around to get back here. As I was turning onto the road leading to the Health Centre, I received a call from Bruce Massey who had just arrived to find the male chick, Storm, running around on the rooftop ledge!! He had obviously made it out of the nest and back to the rooftop in the 45 minutes I was gone!! ( I swear he waited for just that moment! ) The two female young, Rain and Wind, remained on the ledge and looked very disinterested in the whole flight thing. Moments later things got busy.
Storm left the rooftop and attempted to land on the south side of the building on the ledge. He aborted his landing and instead went for the roof. After falling short of the top by a few feet, he hung on and did his best bat impression on the wall for a minute, then let go and tried for the nest ledge again. Another abort, this time taking him around to the east side where O’Connor, the resident female, joined him and guided him over towards the hydro tower. He flew through the first section of gridwork to the second leg of the tower where he attempted a landing and failed. He slipped off of the girder and dropped a foot or two to the next rung below. The slip and fall continued all the way down to the grass berm where he ended up a confused and defeated looking little boy. We rush over to rescue him and all the while O’Connor is above me alarm calling. I looked up to see her making her way down through the girders, rung by rung, on her way to deal with the person that just rescued her chick, me!! I can’t remember ever moving so fast towards Bruce and the rescue carrier and I never looked back! With Storm now in the carrier and in the security office of the hospital, I ventured outside to check on the other chicks and the adults. It would appear that O’Connor, the resident female, now knows the make, model and licence plate of the vehicle I drive, my home address and social insurance number and she plans to look me up!! She patrolled the air space around the hospital and when she found me, came down low to let me know that she wants her baby back!! She will be pleased to know that when darkness falls, after a quick health check, he will be released to the rooftop to give it another try. A big thank you to security and hospital staff for helping us to make a successful rescue today!
Posted on June 17, 2011 9:50 pm
June 16, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Although we didn’t have a fledge occur today, it was still an exciting time at the William Osler Hospital nest site. All three of the chicks were on the east side of the building at the nest tray today and spent the better part of their time there. A small feeding was brought in by Hurricane, the resident male, at approximately 1:30pm that he dropped and left for the young to consume on their own. A great deal of flap-hopping ( flopping more like it ) went on by all three until Bruce Massey arrived. The resident female O’Connor spent the majority of the time patrolling the air space within a two to three kilometre radius around the nest building while Hurricane held the fort on the hydro tower. Hurricane is clearly becoming impatient with the young juveniles lack of interest in flight. Bruce watched as Hurricane did a fly through of the nest ledge as the chicks were all sleeping and buzzed them so closely as to put them all on their feet immediately. During one of O’Connor’s forays, I happened to look up to the north and at about a 1 or 2 kilometre distance I could see a perfectly round and large red balloon. It occurred to me that the balloon might be an atmospheric survey balloon and I wondered whether O’Connor had seen it. Seconds later I got my answer as I watched a bird stoop the balloon, it deflated and then fell to the ground out of my sight. While I can’t confirm for certain that it was O’Connor, I have no doubts in my mind whatsoever. After the deflation, she returned to her perch on the hydro tower within 5 minutes and came in from the direction that the balloon went down. I can safely say that this year the resident female here has given me more than my fair share of “I can’t believe it” moments.
At 6:07pm, Hurricane came into the nest ledge with a rather large package of food for the young. Bruce and I were once again astounded at the ferocity with which the chicks approached him and then quickly mugged him for the food. Hurricane just stood aside and looked back at O’Connor who was overseeing the entire event from the hydro tower with a very confused and helpless look. When she offered no assistance, he wrestled the food back from the young and began to beak feed each chick in hyper drive!! I’ve never seen a head move so fast!! Moments later Hurricane accepted the futility of his efforts and abandoned the package with the young. At 6:49pm, O’Connor flew in and took the remains of the package and fed herself while the chicks sat 4 feet away and vocalized. They made no move to rush the female, they just stood and watched. Within 5 minutes, O’Connor took the food over to the young and began to beak feed them in the most polite, calm and organized fashion. It was such a stark contrast to what Hurricane experienced that Bruce and I wondered if we’d been out in the sun too long and were seeing things!!! After being cropped up as full as can be, the three juveniles settled in for a nice, long nap. A big thank you to all of the William Osler Hospital staff and security for their interest and support of this family of falcons!! Hopefully tomorrow will be the big day and the first of our young will take flight.
Posted on June 16, 2011 9:30 pm
June 15, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Today was a day of peregrine “hide and seek” as the three juveniles made efforts to escape the heat of the day. Upon arrival, I searched the ledge and was only able to locate two of the young and so began the rounds of the building in search of Storm, our little male that was not in my sights. After circling the building 4 times, Bruce Massey arrived and we were witness to the resident female O’Connor doing a low fly through on the southern side of the hospital above the building mechanical area. Bruce and I thought that maybe Storm had fledged and ended up on a low roof and we set out to confirm whether he was actually there. Of course it turned out the the little one was hiding behind one of the “H” signs on the south side and that O’Connor’s fly through was to let a goose know that its presence at “her hospital” was inappropriate. By this time we had confirmed that each juvenile had found its very own “H” sign to hide behind and stay out of the heat; Rain on the north side, Wind on the east side and Storm napping away on the south side.
At 4:00pm Hurricane flew into the south side ledge and Storm went ultrasonic with the screaming. At this point O’Connor flew over to modify his behaviour with a stern “quiet!!” and that lasted until she left the ledge. Storm mobbed Hurricane until he brought food over and spoon fed the little one. It is very apparent that the parents are now weaning the young and attempting to encourage them to take their first flights. Both adults now sit on the hydro tower to the east and perch about a foot apart. They are also doing fly bys with food in an attempt to tease the youngsters to the air but so far to no avail. The evening closed off with some very silly behaviour from Wind and Rain as the two would pounce on each others tails when the other wasn’t looking and Storm was happy just to nap away the evening as all the running after Dad and hyperdrive screaming had tuckered him right out. I certainly expect to see a fledge any day now and will be keeping you up to date on events as they unfold.
Posted on June 16, 2011 11:59 am
June 14, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
After checking in at Etobicoke Sun Life, I made my way up to the site to settle in for the afternoon and arrived to find all three juveniles on the nest ledge and no parents in sight. It was a good half an hour before Hurricane, the resident male, arrived and landed on the hydro tower directly east of the nest ledge. There was a great deal of vocalizations from the young at his arrival but it wasn’t until 1:27pm that Hurricane made his way over to the east facing “H” sign to prep lunch. Hurricane then called for O’Connor, almost as if to ask permission to feed, and when he got no reply he stashed the food and went back to the hydro tower to wait. O’Connor, the resident female, arrived at 2:30pm and Hurricane quickly went to get the food and proceeded with his assigned duties. The three chicks cornered him between the pillar and the wall and refused to allow him to leave until they were full. He was chased by the young so relentlessly that he lost control of the feeding twice and had to regain the food from Wind, one of the young females, to continue on.
Back at the tower with feeding all done, the two adults enjoyed a quiet moment while keeping close watch. O’Connor flew over to the ledge and retrieved some food and Storm, the male chick, sat about 4 feet away screaming but dared not touch it or rush her for a feeding. Seconds later Hurricane landed further down the nest ledge and he was once again rushed by the chicks and mobbed until they were satisfied. It is clearly evident that the chicks don’t mess with Mom at all!!
By 5:00pm, the young had once again eaten ( stolen from Dad ) and O’Connor was perched on the east “H” relaxing. Bruce and I watched as she took off without a sound and made a focussed and determined power flight due east. It took us a moment to realize what she was after. A local Red tailed hawk was approximately a kilometre away and she went right for it. This huge female hawk had no idea what hit her. O’Connor was stooping her and attempting to grab the RTH by the back. Hurricane joined the effort and over the next 10 minutes, Bruce and I sat in awe watching the ejection of this bird from the territory. O’Connor, the resident female, would grab the hawk by the back in mid air which caused it to flip over and present its talons. O’Connor would then grab the bird by the talons and spiral down with it for a good 3 to 5 seconds, all the while biting at the bird. When the two released their grip on each other, Hurricane would clobber it with a full stoop attack. This series of grab, flip, lock, release and smack continued on for at least 5 kilometres until Bruce and I could no longer see them. O’Connor easily made half a dozen lock on grabs of the bird and spiralled down with it for several seconds each time. I must admit I have never seen an attack like this in all my years doing this!!!
I can’t say what happened to the female Red tailed hawk that our resident pair took on but I can tell you that 10 minutes after it all began, both adults were back on their hydro tower perch preening and roosting as if nothing had happened. I must say that O’Connor is one of the most brave, relentless, powerful and determined female peregrine falcons I have ever met. What a Mom!!
Posted on June 14, 2011 8:43 pm
June 13, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Frank and I were down at the William Osler Hospital today to kick off the watch and check on Storm, Wind and Rain, the three juveniles that were under the close watch of the resident pair Hurricane and O’Connor. All three of the chicks are now out of the nest tray and exploring the ledge thatspans the circumference of the building. Most of the juveniles time was spent on the east ledge close to the nest tray but by later in the day, uncharted territory on the southeast side was the new thing to explore. To make that corner even more intriguing, both Hurricane and O’Connor were enjoying a private moment away from the kids on the south facing “H” and the juveniles were eager to follow. A feeding took place at 1:00pm and the ledge running began shortly thereafter. Shortly after we left the site to attend Etobicoke Sun Life, Bruce Massey arrived and was treated to the same level of activity as we were; lots of flapping and ledge running. There was another feeding at 7:00pm and the resident female doled out the food to each chick before settling down on her favorite corner on the southeast of the building. Although the chicks still have some down present, we expect that the male, given his rambunctious behaviour, will be ready to take his first flight any day now. Hurricane, the resident male, is encouraging the young to join him and regularly does close fly bys ( which of course fires them all up! ). We will be back tomorrow to see if our young male takes that first important flight.
Posted on June 13, 2011 10:46 pm
June 01, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
CPF Postmaster Reports:
A great day indeed! With a huge thank you to the great folks at the Etobicoke general Hospital - William Osler hospital and the Ministry of Natural Resources, the banding went like clock work.
Three very healthy and fiesta hatchlings were banded to day in front of hospital staff.
With Hurricane (the resident adult male - produced at the Toronto Sheraton Hotel nest site in 2004 - banded Black 5 over Black x)), and his mate - (now finally identified by her Black M over Green 87 leg band,, as being named O’Conner, a 2007 Ohio produced peregrine) were both on hand to voice their opinion, the three young hatchlings were weighed in, sexed, banded, and named.
The first hatchling weighed in at 800 grams, (full crop) - sexed as a Female, at 23 days old, banded with a Black 26 over Black X and named Wind,, with Red Tape
The second hatchling weighed in at 625 grams, (full crop weight), - sexed as a Male, at 23 days old, banded with a Black 92 over Black Y at 23 days old, and named Storm,, with Yellow Tape
The third hatchling weighed in at 855 grams, - (full crop weight), - sexed as a Female, at 24 days old, banded with a Black 48 over a Black X, and named Rain, with White tape.
One un-hatched egg was recovered.
Posted on June 1, 2011 11:49 pm
May 20, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Mark Nash Reports:
May 20th - 2011
Both Marion and I attended the Etobicoke General Hospital this afternoon to meet with Polly and check up on the nest site happenings. A big thank you to William Osler security team for their assistance in accommodating our visit. We were delighted to see that there are now 3 hatchlings in the nest tray! While the resident adult female was not observed during this short visit, but we did see Hurricane, the resident adult male on site watching over the nest ledge from the north east corner of the hospital. All three hatchlings looked good, and it was quite obvious that they had been recently fed as they all had visible bulging little crops.
The warmer more seasonal temperatures along with a break from the blustery winds and all of the rain we’ve had here in southern Ontario has been far more accommodating for all of us, allowing us to be able to see what’s been happening at many of the nest ledges.
Its also been quite obvious that this break in the weather has also been very welcomed by many of the resident adult peregrines, as we are now starting to see them more active. As the hatchlings continue to grow, the demands on both parents to provide additional food will increase substantially and their activity off the nest ledges will become far more apparent.
Stay tuned……….
Posted on May 23, 2011 12:10 pm
May 09, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Bruce Massey was on-site today at the William Osler Hospital and was able to gain access to the mechanical room peep hole for a check up on the resident adults and their clutch of eggs. To his delight, the resident female stood up to reposition herself and there was a newly hatched chick in view. Bruce puts the hatch date as yesterday or last night. A huge thank you to the staff and security at the William Osler Hospital for all of their support and congratulations to them on their very first hatch!!!!
Posted on May 9, 2011 7:31 pm
May 06, 2011 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
When I arrived at the William Osler Hospital site, Hurricane, the resident male, was perched atop the east facing “H” preening himself after having a recent meal ( obvious by the size of his crop! ). I proceeded up to the hatch to look through the peep hole for signs of a hatch and the female was hunkered down on the eggs. It would appear that she had just recently returned to her incubation duties with her own equally full crop. I waited for the female to reposition herself and was fortunate to see at least three eggs that she is currently caring for. Certainly no flash of white that would indicate that we have a hatch here yet but definately three very healthly sized eggs at least. A big thank you to the staff and security at the William Osler Hospital for their support of this nesting pair! Keep checking back as we will be monitoring this site, among several others, that are due for a hatch any day now.
Posted on May 6, 2011 7:42 pm
