April 24, 2011 - Brampton - Courthouse
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Bruce Massey was on-site at the Brampton Courthouse today and was able to positively identify the female by her alpha numeric band number. Up to this point, the pair at the courthouse consisted of a banded male and an unbanded female as reported earlier. The female is Black 36 over Black X. Her name is Truss and she was hatched and banded at the Burlington Lift Bridge in 2009. It would appear that Truss is now the resident female and Bruce was able to witness copulation and lots of vocalizations around the southwest corner of the building where there is a ledge that they appear interested in. The identity of the male remains elusive and until we have positive confirmation of the alpha numeric band number, considering all of the combinations available, we won’t speculate as to who he is. We will certainly continue to monitor the site for potential nesting and pictures of the building will follow shortly.
Posted on April 24, 2011 1:11 pm
April 20, 2011 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
From The:Listowel Banner
BIRD’S THE WORD - Kyle Holloway of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation paid a visit to the Best Start class at St. Marys School on Feb. 28, with Peregrine Falcon,Nova.
From Bay Today,North Bay Ontario’s News
Story and photos by Paige Shemilt/Special to BayToday.ca
It’s not everyday students get to see an endangered species up close and personal and on Friday students at Widdifield Secondary School were fortunate enough to see a peregrine falcon firsthand.
Kyle Holloway, with the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and Oscar the Peregrine Falcon and Alexandra a Great Horned Owl,were at the school to deliver an informative, interactive, and fun workshop on the endangered fowl.
The main focus of the presentation dealt with pesticides including DDT, and how the chemicals affect the population of these birds.
“The best way to make changes is to get to kids. Youth are who is going to make the change,” says Holloway.
He says that since it is harder to change the mind of adults, the foundation focused on kids in grades four to twelve.
Seeing the creatures up-close allowed the students to explore what their role is in helping to keep the bird’s habitat clean and safe and free of pesticides. For more information on Project School Visit visit http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/education.html#project
Posted on April 20, 2011 3:24 pm
April 14, 2011 - International, National and Local News
Tracy Simpson Reports:
We received a letter today from our friends at Harlequin that are so enamoured with our newest nesting pair, Quest and Kendal, that they have arranged this news release and have graciously offered us the opportunity to post it here on our website!!
Harlequin’s Newest Lovebirds—Peregrine Falcons
You may think Harlequin’s hottest new couple would be appearing on the covers of their novels, but you’d be wrong, because the publisher’s most buzzed-about twosome are a pair of peregrine falcons. A mating pair of the world’s fastest animal—they can reach speeds of more than 320 km/h when in their hunting dive—was spotted by Harlequin Publisher and CEO Donna Hayes nesting on the uppermost ledge of a building across from Harlequin’s world headquarters in the North York area of Toronto.
An avid birdwatcher, Ms. Hayes immediately contacted the Canadian Peregrine Foundation Tuesday, April 10, 2011 to alert them to the pair and noted that one of the falcons had a tracking device and antenna on its back. The CPF immediately dispatched a volunteer to Harlequin’s offices and identified the bird as Quest, a peregrine falcon born, tagged and fitted with a transmitter across Lake Ontario in Rochester, New York. Her mate has been identified as Kendal, a peregrine falcon born on top of 18 King Street East in 2009.
“We’ve got a real cross-border romance going on here,” said Ms. Hayes. “Quest and Kendal have been courting around our offices. They’ve been putting on quite a display of aerial acrobatics, spins and dives—high-altitude flirting. Our lovebirds have started their scrape, the peregrine falcon equivalent of a nest, across from our building, and have become the most popular couple in our office—they’ve even overtaken the mating pair of geese that visit us every year.”
Ms. Hayes has given the CPF access to an office directly across from the scrape to track the amorous falcons’ progress and has even set up her own telescope for Harlequin employees to watch the birds and, hopefully, their offspring.
Marion Nash, director of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation directs people to their website (www.peregrine-foundation.ca) to follow the Harlequin peregrine falcons story, to pledge support or to help with the fledge watch should Quest and Kendal have offspring.
“We conduct a fledge watch at all the urban nest sites to help the little ones survive their first few days and their first flights,” said Ms. Nash. “Often during the first two to three weeks, as uncoordinated babies, the fledglings lose altitude and come to the ground, get themselves in all sorts of trouble or hit the building trying to land. We man the street in teams to keep an eye on them and rescue them when needed and get them back to the rooftop or to a vet if hurt. The fledge watch starts early in the morning and goes until dark for as long as needed—until the babies are doing well enough without us. There can still be accidents after that, so we are on standby right up until they migrate in the fall. If eggs are produced and we have a hatch we will be calling on our current volunteers to assist, as well as recruiting new ones on our website. Volunteers can fill out a form on our site.”
Harlequin employees are raising money to make a donation to the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and hope to adopt the birds. Ms. Nash said that if Quest and Kendal hatch any chicks, they will name one Harlequin.
Posted on April 14, 2011 5:13 pm
April 14, 2011 - International, National and Local News
Tracy Simpson Reports:
There is definately a tale of romance here at 220 Duncan Mills Road. This afternoon Bruce Massey attended the site to check in on Quest and her handsome male suitor and he was able to positively identify him… …it’s Kendal, a 2009 hatch from the 18 King Street nest site!!!! The story of these two birds could start off with something like, “Their eyes met across a misty Frenchman’s Bay…” as Quest and Kendal have potentially been flirting with the idea of getting together since last year. On Sept. 12 of 2010, Denis Gauthier was able to take two exceptional photos of Kendal in the Frenchman’s Bay area which coincidentally was around the same time that Quest’s transmitter put her nearby at the power plant ( check Toronto - King Street page for the full sighting notation ). Bruce was able to witness mating behavoir between Quest and Kendal today and watched as Quest spent time on her selected ledge working on a nest scrape. Bruce and I will both be on-site tomorrow as we are excitedly awaiting the potential arrival of eggs!!!
Posted on April 14, 2011 4:57 pm
March 22, 2011 - International, National and Local News
CPF Postmaster Reports:
March 22nd - A big thank you to Dave Timmerman from the Sacramento Ca area in the USA for sending us the attached photo he snapped of a male Northern Harrier during a “fly-by”. A good ID shot indeed for all to see.
David writes: The bird was tracking what appeared to be a small field mouse that it eventually caught.
Photo by David Timmerman
Posted on April 12, 2011 4:34 pm
April 12, 2011 - Toronto - Don Mills
Tracy Simpson Reports:
The CPF head office received a phone call today from a woman in an office building at 225 Duncan Mills Road in East York about a pair of peregrine falcons occupying the building across from her on the uppermost ledge. Her description of the female was an odd one that had us all buzzing in the office… …she has an antenna on her back!! After checking her travel diary… …oh boy its Quest!!!! For the last 5 days, she has been hanging around this particular building and has herself a handsome male suitor. Her presence at the site was brought to our attention by Donna Hayes, CEO of Harlequin Enterprises, and we do indeed have a Peregrine romance in the making! Bruce Massey, one of our longest standing volunteers, was immediately dispatched to confirm her band number and determine which ledge they were interested in. It is without a doubt Quest. There are no eggs as of yet but it is our hope that they are not long off. While there, Bruce was able to note in and out ledge visits by the pair and lots of communication between the two. Donna Hayes graciously allowed Bruce access to the office directly across from the nest ledge to confirm band numbers and sent us the first picture of the mother to hopefully-be sleepily sunning herself off and on throughout the afternoon. We will be watching very closely to see if Quest indeed lays eggs and raises her family here in Toronto. It would be quite an honor to host a such a magnificent female and be a part of the living legacy.
Posted on April 12, 2011 4:23 pm
April 03, 2011 - International, National and Local News
CPF Postmaster Reports:
With a huge thank you to Terry Osborne who first alerted us of peregrine activity in Brampton, Bruce Massey from the CPF has been visiting the Brampton area regularly to get a handle on the birds activity. After several visits, and just when he thought he had the peregrines pegged and showing great interest in a ledge on the Brampton courthouse, the same pair was later observed at yet another serious of buildings well over a km away from the Courthouse building itself. .
The adult male dawns a Balck over Green coloured leg band, (and a USFW coloured band on the other leg). The adult female is NOT banded at all. We have yet to identify the digits on the males band and still trying to identify the digits so we can trace his origin.
While this is very typical of a pairs behaviour when they are looking for “their ideal nest ledge”, (what ever that is), it does make things difficult for us to know where and when the peregrines have decided to set up house.
Usually, the adult male has already chosen several good nesting spots with in the territory that he has been holding and protecting over the past weeks and months, and he goes to great length to show his new mate all of the nifty places within his protected territory. While the male actually believes that it is “he” that decides and chooses the final nest ledge within the territory, it is actually his female mate that chooses the spot within the given territory that she will lay “her eggs” on and raise “her” family at.
Hey guys, does this sound at all familiar?
In any case, we need your support to help us identify the spot that the peregrine have finally chosen to settle in at, as we can never have enough eyes to skies given that the birds are very mobile and still activity looking.
We are interested in knowing where the peregrines have finally settled in, and asking for your help with observation reports of the birds being seen “regularly” on a ledge of a building.
Typically the peregrines will NOT be interested in the flat upper roof areas to nest, and instinctually prefer a suitable ledge BELOW the higher flat top elevations.
Please give us a call or send us an e-mail if you are seeing the peregrines spending any increased amount of time on the actual ledges of a building. Any photos are most welcomed, especially ones that we can use to identify the males band numbers!
The search begins!
Sincerely
CPF Postmaster
Posted on April 12, 2011 11:01 am
April 01, 2011 - International, National and Local News
CPF Postmaster Reports:
April 1st - Its not often that we get such a good clear shot of a Coopers hawk, and felt it well worth posting for everyone to see.
A big thank you to Nicole for sending in this great photo of her feathered friend that has been a regular visitor in her back yard these past days.
The photo was taken on Friday, April 1st, 2011 in Mississauga, Ont, Cda. by Nicole Kreutzberg.
The the adult female Coopers hawk hung out in my yard for all of Friday night and all of Saturday…had a few kills and wow, doesn’t even leave a scrap behind.
A regular visitor these days
Nicole Kreutzberg
Posted on April 12, 2011 10:03 am
May 12, 2010 - International, National and Local News
CPF Postmaster Reports:
A big thank you to Gary and Valerie for sending us this shot of some baby American Kestrels. The adult Kestrels have been nesting and producing offspring in their workshop for the last three years and have produced offspring each year. Great mouse and bug control at its best! Also helps keep some of thoes other pesky birds away.
Thanks Gary and Valerie.
Posted on April 11, 2011 11:00 pm
April 08, 2011 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
Donna Daniel an Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Wildlife Division officer,will have regular updates about Durand,a female Peregrine Falcon hatched in 2009 at the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel.
April 3rd,2011, Durand laid her first egg of the season. The male is yet to be confirmed so far this season.
My friend Deb/Buckibird reported to me.
Good Morning Frank!!
Just a quick note to let you know Durand laid her 2nd egg the day before yesterday with hopefully # 3 today ! She moved the 1st egg to the opposite side of the nestbox and laid the 2nd egg where she laid the 1st !!! I did send Donna at the ODNR an email asking about the identity of the male, Trooper or new male, and have not heard back with an answer as of yet ! I will keep you posted as to the happenings in the Columbus nest :):)
Have a great day !!
Deb
Thanks to our friends in Ohio for keeping us posted on Durand’s activities.
Posted on April 8, 2011 4:32 am
