March 9th - 2015
Some additional shots from Olga that captured both resident adults on the nest ledge again!
Windwhistler has been replaced by Stormin. Windwhistler has not been seen in his King St Territory since January. Courtship activity including flights has not been seen. Erin tends to sit away from Stormin , appearing that she is not interested in him. Also, Erin has been lying down behind the pillar since September. Could be a number of possibilities given the harsh cold temperatures this past winter and her age. It is certainly not incubation as there are no eggs as yet. Her age is a good indicator and the fact that only one egg hatched last year at this site. We’ll keep watching for courtship activity but at this time it’s not happening. I think Stormin is more concentrated on patrolling the area, and sometimes wandering over to the Sheraton nest site, which is very close.
March 9th - 2015
Again, thank you to Laura who was able to capture this photo at 4pm this afternoon of both resident adults on the nest ledge at the 18 King Street nest site.
With much speculation of Windwhistler having been displaced (and replaced) earlier on in January of this year by one of his grandsons - (who was clearly identified as being a peregrine named Stormin via his leg band identification), we have yet to be able to identify re-identify the adult male that we’ve been seeing at the Toronto King Street nest site these past two weeks.
Windwhistler (the long standing resident adult male at this site) would be 17 years old this year. He was produced at the Etobicoke nest site at Bloor & Islington in Etobicoke.
Erin, the long standing resident adult female at the 18 King Street nest site (who we suspect is still the adult female being seen on the nest ledge) will also be 17 years old this year!!
The photo taken today by Laura shows an adult laying in the nest bowl behind the pillar in the dark shadow, and an adult male on the ledge just coming in.
Sadly, no leg bands are readable.
Remember that both Windwhistler and Stormin have solid Black coloured leg bands on their left leg,, and Erin has a two coloured leg band (Black over Red) on her left leg.
So the question remains, who is currently residing at the 18 King Street nest site now??????
Please don’t hesitate to send us any and all photos that you are able to capture that have show any legible band numbers!
Also, it certainly looks like we have incubation happing????? Are there any eggs yet?????
March 6th - 2015
A quick visit at the 18 Toronto King Street nest ledge via the live CPF web camera, and it is obvious that there is not any eggs as yet. A blow-up view of the recent day light photos tells the story. While it appears that there maybe a little debris (maybe snow) in the nest bowl on the nest ledge behind the pillar, a close-up view of the photo taken this afternoon, clearly shows that there is no eggs present as yet.
Remember, that peregrine eggs are NOT white, but brownish-red blotched in colour.
But is getting very close to egg production and egg laying!!!
Stay tuned……………..
March 2nd - 2015
A big thank you to Laura for sending in her cam snap-shot of the 18 King Street nest ledge via the live CPF web camera. It might appear that one of the adult peregrines is involved in incubation activities on the nest ledge?????
We’ll have to wait for her to stand up and give us a peak at what’s going on!
Stay tuned……………..
February 23rd - 2015
Thanks to Olga for sending in her snap-shot of the web cam view of the 18 Toronto King Street nest ledge. The night photo she was able to capture clearly shows one of the adults laying down on the nest ledge in the nest bowl. Has egg production started????
We’ll have to visit again in the day light to see what’s happening!!!
Stay tuned……
Friday February 20th - 2015
A quick peek at the web cams this morning and we found the Toronto King street nest ledge active with both resident adult peregrines hanging out on the nest ledge despite the bitter cold temps that we’re been experiencing here in southern Ontario. With daily high temps only reaching -22, and with the blustery winds bringing the temps down to the -30’s, I can’t understand why our resident urban peregrines aren’t flying south to some warmer temps, (at least not for a short holiday until the cold artic air loosens it grip on us). We have already broken record low temps here in southern Ontario that date back to the 1930’s in addition to the several sustained cold temps for days (weeks) at a time!!
Well, I guess home is still always home regardless,, a safe place to be, and the peregrines see it the same way! Spring is in the air despite the cold, as the days are getting longer, with longer periods of light, and we will soon see some intense pair bonding between the adults.
With that being said, we have not been able to confirm who the resident adult is at the Toronto King Street nest site this year, with earlier reports of Windwhistler having been replaced by another adult male. Windwhistler, (a.k.a. Spike) who was produced at the Etobicoke Bloor & Islington nest site back in 1998, some 16 years ago, is / was the longest standing resident adult male on any occupied nest site here in Ontario. He is also the oldest resident adult male peregrine occupying a nest site that we have on record.
It is also interesting, that CPF’s original video / DVD presentation, “Life on the Ledge” that features the life of a peregrine family raising offspring on an urban hi-rise ledge was filmed via the CPF web camera the same year that Windwhistler was produced. We see him as young nestling growing up on camera. This is the same video presentation that we use and distribute to all of the schools for our Project School Visit program.
In any case, only time will tell as we get closer to spring, when both resident adults will be spending far more time on the nest ledge and we may be able to get a band ID to identify the Who’s Who’s at the nest!
February 9th - 2015
A huge thank-you to Laura Cote for sending in her photos and observation report of the resident peregrines from the 18 King Street nest site. Despite the bitter cold record temps, its still life as usual on the urban nest ledges and surrounding buildings that make up a peregrines territory.
Taken from # 1 Toronto Street, one of the typical roosting and eating spots of the 18 King Street peregrines,,, (with the King Edward Hotel in the back ground), one of the local resident peregrines was photographed by Laura roosting on the upper elevation shortly after it finished its breakfast.
Unfortunately, the photos weren’t quite close enough (and of course the subject was cooperating nor staying around long enough) to get a band identification and an ID on the peregrine,,, but now that Laura is focused, she just maybe able to get an ID when the bird(s) return.
The one Toronto street building has long since been a regular roosting and eating spot of the 18 King street peregrines, and the balcony itself has garnered some incredible opportunities to view and photograph the resident peregrines over the past 20 years.
Remembering back in the early days, way back in 1995 when the peregrines first came to the 18 King Street nest building and successfully nested and produced Toronto’s first peregrine falcon hatchlings making history and causing global excitement, the building management of the day allowed the CPF to utilize the then same vacant office suites as a fledge watch command post, where we watched and documented Toronto’s first nesting/producing peregrines!
Today, some 20 years later, the 18 King Street nest site is still occupied by a resident pair of peregrines, and has produced peregrine babies each and every year since 1995!!!! It remains Toronto’s oldest continuously producing peregrine nest site, still making history as of today!!
While it is true that several different adult peregrine individuals have occupied and produced offspring at the 18 King Street nest ledge since Pounce-Kingsley and Victoria’s arrival back in 1995, this nest site remains a historical nest site! Each and every year since 1995, we have been banding the offspring at the King Street nest site, hosted by the various building management groups and even the King Edward Hotel in their old grand ball room,,, (which by the way has seen royalty and many very famous people in years since past)!!
Laura writes:
Hi there,
I work in the building across the street (1 Toronto St/top 15th floor) and the King St falcons often perch on our ledge to hunt pigeon. They often bring the pigeon back up here and eat it!
Yesterday I caught the first sighting of 2015 and it was amazing.
Thought I would share my photo. Hopefully this attachment opens, if not let me know.
Thank you,
Laura
January 27th - 2015
A big thank-you to Campbell who was able to snap this photo from the live web cam of two peregrines involved in a little pair-bonding on the nest ledge. While we’re not quite sure who the peregrines are given the recent news of the long standing resident male (Windwhistler,, a.k.a. Spike) having been displaced from the site by Stormin,, (who was the resident adult male from the Canada Square nest site at Yonge and Eglinton).
Stormin was displaced himself from the Canada Square Yonge and Eglington nest site by another male and disappeared off the radar altogether.
It is quite obvious by the photo that there is some active pair-bonding currently going on within the nest ledge!
The big question,,,, is it Stormin or Windwhistler?? Or perhaps, someone else altogether??
Campbell writes:
Good morning
I snapped this shot of the two yesterday afternoon. Can’t tell who it is. Spring is coming.
Campbell Barr
This morning shortly after 10am Linda Woods was looking at the King Street East nest site area and had activity in the air. A third bird entered the territory from the southeast and engaged one of the adults. She believes that the two interacting were both males and that the female remained out of the fray on the south side of the Dynamic building. The interaction continued for almost 45 minutes and included chases and vocalizing but no talon to talon contact. Who this third bird is is unclear at this time but the flight pattern of the second male was distinctly that of Windwhistler and Erin was not reacting to this bird at all. Could it be that Windwhistler is still around? Further observation will be following this week.
