June 21, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
Hi Dennis, yes, I did make it Saturday for a few hours, but never took any photos that excited me. Sunday morning I went from 6:30 am until 8am. No keeper photos, but I was impressed at the youngsters , as they appeared to be hunting on their own. They were aggressively chasing pigeons and starlings. It was quite a sight. Then about 7:30 they seemed to disappear. There was only one adult and one juvenile in the area when I left.
I will send you any photos I get.
I appreciate the link and Carol Ann has already linked the foundation to our site. Thanks again
Randy Holland
www.randysnaturephotography.com
Special Thanks to Randy Holland for coming to the Bridge with his camera gear and we appreciate Randy’s candid input on the progress of the youngsters as he observed them.
Dennis Patrick
WPW
Posted on June 21, 2010 4:53 pm
June 21, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
Michael has been coming over to the site helping spot and hoping for a great picture. Michael is a student at the University. Here are his words.
“Here is the picture of the falcon and its shadow. Look at the shadow in the place where the eye should be, I only noticed it last night”.
Lancer the name sake of the University is the peregrine that was in the right place at the right time.
Michael Dufour (student at the University of Windsor)
The young fly off the ledges to pursue the adults and try and take the food package from them. This is lancer leaving the ledge in HOT pursuit!!
Ken spotted a risky flight by one of the young and we were all nervous but when all three were FINALLY accounted for cheers were heard all round.
The great flying hunting lessons are continuing.
Posted on June 21, 2010 7:45 am
June 19, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
The youngsters tonight were engaging each other in locked talon swing arounds. The wind was right so we had some excellant aerial displays. 30 or 40 feet over head and all around JUST above tree top
I want to say thank you to our watch team whom without I can honestly say this report would be shy a couple of Falcons.
The displays are great late afternoon and evening. Several talon to talon aerial hand offs of food. You can see the youngsters grow in maturity and confidence every day. Voltaire the female really layed down the law tonight and clamped down on the no fly zone. She climbed several times right past a gull and stooped and chased and drove the gull off. Thank you to all the volunteers who came to meet under the Bridge where this first started 3 Years ago. I have many pictures to post and I will try to do so.
I have to post from my shop to send some other photos from some guests. You’ll enjoy them I’m sure.
This link will help with some shots on Jerry’s site site. http://www.pbase.com/gerald_f_peltier/peregrine_falcon
When I was worried about whether I was on the numbers with the birth date of the first hatch Jerry came down and did some facial shots that we could compare with some facial aging guides and put my mind at ease. Special thanks from the watch team Jerry thank you again for your help.
Dennis Patrick
Windsor Watch Team
Posted on June 20, 2010 12:25 am
June 17, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
The kids looked a little tired this morning maybe it was all that great flying yesterday. They were a little slow out of the gate but that all ended when they took to the sky.
The two males really seem to enjoy picking on their sister!!
Sounds like a typical family!!
A little snack was brought in to get their motors running and then right back to flight school. This gives new meaning to after school snack!
One thing that I have seen twice now is Voltaire flying right down across the parking lot and chasing a squirrel away from the base of the Bridge abutment gotta keep those pesky rodents away!!
Dennis
Posted on June 17, 2010 11:38 am
- Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
Fabulous incredible flight displays by Lancer and Windsor. Talon to talon flight displays Bridgette hot in the hunt when foods involved. The boys seem more apt to just fly for the jostling and sparring. This afternoon at about three the trio soared high into the sky way above the height of the Ambassador Bridge sign, WAY above!! Totaly new behaviour but the wind was right.
To have falcons flying 30 feet sometimes lower over my head thick as flies at a picnic. I am humbled by this oportunity to be part of the continued future of such incredibly stunning creatures. To have been given this oportunity right here in my own backyard. How great is that. They are starting to race each other in pursuit of the parent with the food package.
The males are more adept to tearing there own prey where as Bridgette is still prone to have mom rip it and feed her. Bridgette really likes to sleep on the nest ledge, the boys don’t.
Body language speaks rheems if we only open our eyes and listen. I am amazed they seem to be grasping the shear joy of flight. Just soaking in the energy and beginning to understanding how and why they were designed to perform as the fastest creature on the planet.
Big ear to ear falcon smiles all round!!!
Special thanks to all our loyal hard working volunteers without whom we’d never have gotten this far. Great job team. Your loyalty and support is irreplaceable.
Dennis
Posted on June 16, 2010 10:19 pm
June 16, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
http://www.pbase.com/gerald_f_peltier
This web site contains many pictures of the Ambassador Peregrine family.
Please check it out Jerry has worked hard with us to keep posting wonderful new photos.
All three fledgelings were flying cautiously due to high winds today but all is well and progressing nicely.
Dennis.
Posted on June 16, 2010 5:34 pm
June 16, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
http://detnews.com/article/20100615/METRO/6150319/Falcons-nest-on-bridge–hatch-3
If you access this link you can see the article that is in the Detroit News today.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!
Dennis
Posted on June 16, 2010 5:11 pm
June 15, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
It’s hard to explain the excitement I feel to see Windsor, Lancer and Bridgette flying around sometimes with Freddie and Voltaire and other times by themselves. This morning Dennis and I got there around 5:30 A.M. still a little dark but we could hear them talking back and forth. As it got light we saw Windsor and Lancer on the ledge and Bridgette sitting on the nest ledge. One parent flew in with a food package and dropped it off. The three of them basically ran over to it. About an hour later we saw them fly off with Freddie, looks like he’s teaching them talon to talon hand off feeding as they are flying around. We want to say a Special Thank You to the Bridge corporation for helping us with the two rescues that we had to do to keep the chicks safe. Special thanks to the University of Windsor Security and all the bridge staff. This comunity spirit has launched this nest site into the treasure of great magnitude and value it deserves!! Great work by the Windsor Falcon Watch Team. There is still much to be seen in the early morning and evening.
Keep looking up, you’ll be amazed by what you’ll see!
Tomorrow evening Dennis and a friend will be adding photos on our site.
Gwen
Posted on June 15, 2010 10:30 am
June 10, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
Well, it sure has been exciting around here this week! Monday, June 7th Lancer was the first one to come off the nest. Wednesday, June 9th, Bridgette came down and then this morning we got there around 6 A.M. and Windsor was no where to be found. Finally we got a phone call to say that he is back near the bridge. Now we are all happy once again. It’s crazy it’s like worrying about children. Dennis and I are very happy with the team members, we are a great team!!!
Thank You to everyone!
Gwen
Posted on June 10, 2010 12:15 pm
June 07, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
Wow, only in our dreams could we see a wonderful little family of Peregrine Falcons such as we have now on the Ambassador Bridge here in Windsor. We got to the site this morning at 6 A.M., Freddie the Dad was sitting on the pipe and the three young ones who were named Windsor, Lancer and Bridgette were sitting on the nest ledge just acting like kids. It’s so great to see them enjoying life. They are flapping their wings like they are just going to fly off the ledge. Yesterday afternoon we had a Meet and Greet time down under the Bridge, we got there just in time to see Voltaire come into the nest with food, she dropped it off and then flew onto the pipe. About 20 minutes later she flew back onto the nest and started to feed them. We thought maybe she was hoping they would try and feed themselves for a change. This morning they were also sitting the same way as their Dad, with their back turned from us, preening themselves. Words cannot explain how it makes us feel to see them on the nest. Three chicks that are so big and we feel like grandparents. As time goes on we will keep posting and hopefully have more pics for you to see.
We want to Thank everyone who came out yesterday to the Meet and Greet even though we got rained on like crazy.
Look forward to seeing you again real soon.
Gwen
The Falcon Crazy Team Members
Posted on June 7, 2010 11:43 am
