Canadian Peregrine Foundation

Canada Square catch up

August 04, 2014 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton

Marion Nash Reports:

I checked on the peregrines at Canada Square on July 28. I saw two juveniles and positively ID’d the one as Linden - yellow band. They flew around and over Rio-Can (RC), the Yonge Eglinton intersection and Canada Square. Linden went into a stoop east along Eglinton Ave but came up empty.
Just before I left Malik did a fly-by and fly-over and once his inspection was over Haven flew in for a quick check. I was not able to get colour on the second juvie’s band.
On July 31 I was out for an hour and a half and had some activity to watch and record. Malik kept himself entertained and me busy for close to an hour. He flew over Y/E intersection and Canada Square then settled temporarily on the south east corner of RC. There was a spurt of activity when he went into a stoop along Eglinton east and caught as small bird which he promptly offloaded on the north *nest* level. Having done that, he hopped down to the ledge below and then flew around Canada Square to pop up again on the ledge below the nest. Once he had completed his inspection he flew north around Canada Square and I saw him go into a dive before disappearing on the east side of the building.
Five minutes later he was kiting and soaring above the tall Condo (identified because of missing tail feather). He really enjoyed the breeze and went into a stoop around the two condos, played a little *touch and go* on the top of the condo and then disappeared again. The next time I spotted him he was flying over Canada Square then east of RC and back again over the old bus bays and then to the south west corner of RC.
Whilst he was perched I saw a peregrine stoop on a pigeon over the Y/E intersection and miss but it was close and I think the pigeon shed a feather or two and high tailed it for northern Ontario. Malik flew to the RC roof and then Haven flew around Canada Square, east of RC and back to the third ledge south of the wall on Canada Square where she settled for a while and feasted on a pigeon. Once that meal was done she cleaned her beak and flew to the east side of Canada Square and was gone.
Malik was a bit restless and continued to fly here and there and even went into a stoop south on Duplex, really, really, low, but missed. Eventually he too disappeared.
On Friday, Aug 1, I was briefly entertained by Chinook, positive ID blue band who had been sitting on the first ledge south of the wall. He REALLY did not want to move and didn’t for a while. When he eventually flew it was simply off Canada Square and onto RC and a third of the way up. When he was that much closer to me I could see the reason for his reluctant flight. He looked as if his crop was working through a tennis ball. It was HUGE. He was stuffed. At one point it was all he could do to turn his head and watch two gulls fly over, way high up. Whilst I was sitting there musing over his meal I noticed a very dark cloud coming in from the north. Haven did a quick fly-by and as big drops began to fall I packed up and scuttled into the mall.
On Saturday I spotted Haven high up at the BACK of the Heart and Stroke building – hiding! This used to be Stormin’s favourite hide out.
Lyn

someone at home

August 02, 2014 - Toronto - King Street

Marion Nash Reports:

Not sure but looks like one of the adults at home today at the far end of the ledge.

pictures from today

August 02, 2014 - Mississauga - Executive Centre

Marion Nash Reports:

Got some shots of the adult resident male in the box today.

Adult home at Sun Life

August 02, 2014 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre

Marion Nash Reports:

Adult-pic web cam image shot from today.

got a shot of Oliver at home today.

August 02, 2014 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre

Marion Nash Reports:

Saw Oliver at home today and got these web cam shots. It took a while to get his band tape color but it is red for sure.

!!! Olivia is on the ledge

August 02, 2014 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre

Linda Woods Reports:

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a juvenile on the nest ledge. Olivia has dropped by for a visit.

MEC Female Identified.

July 31, 2014 - Mississauga - Executive Centre

Tracy Simpson Reports:

A big thank you to Lucie that yesterday was able to confirm what we suspected in that the female seen on camera at MEC is Midnght from the downtown Brampton nest site.

A few days ago we were watching vigorous activity in the nest box with the adults in and out regularly and doing more than simple fall bonding. The nest scrapes were being seriously excavated along with lots of bowing that looked more like courtship than housecleaning. Over the past few days we were able to confirm that there is indeed a new bird at the MEC site and that bonding of this new pairing was in high swing. Thanks to our web camera watchers we were able to confirm band colors as black over red on the left leg and purple USFW on the right of this new female. During Lucie’s visit to the site yesterday she was able to 100% clearly see through her scope the 9 on top with a 90% certainty of an 8 beside it and 100% confirm an E on the bottom. This is consistent with Midnight, hatched in 2011 in Ohio, whose band is black 98 over red E.

Midnight was identified in Ontario as a subadult in 2012 when I found her hanging around in downtown Brampton with Milton, then resident male at the Brampton Courthouse. Nothing came of that nesting season but by 2013 she was ready to give nesting a try. The spring started late for her in downtown Brampton as her mate Milton was ousted by a younger Canadian male named Striker from the Yellow Pages nest site, also hatched in 2011. The eggs laid were Milton’s but the new male attending to her had changed. Her attempt to nest on the George St. condo failed to hatch any young. By August, Midnight had come south down Hwy. 10 to the Brittania Road area chasing out a subadult female named Alfrieda (now nesting at Lakeridge Hospital in Oshawa) and spent over a month courting Ossie, a subadult male hatched at the William Osler Hospital in 2012. By the winter of 2013, Midnight was back further north and Ossie was no longer around the Revenue Canada building.

This spring, Midnight was once again in downtown Brampton with Striker and they were working on hatching young on the top of the George St condo. Territorial battles with other females, intense rainfall events, lack of substrate and drainage and lingering cold most likely all played a role in her second nest failure in two years. When we heard that a black over red banded female was now in the MEC box and on camera, we immediately thought of her.

Up to this point, this territory has been held by Rogue who successfully hatched and raised one male chick this year. Where Rogue is at this time no one really knows but we will certainly be watching for her. Only time will tell who will be the breeding adult female next year at MEC as there is still a long way to go before we get there. We will be out over the long weekend to check in on Midnight and Renegade as well as head north to look for Striker and Rogue. We will keep you up to date on all the latest news regarding this site so keep checking back.

Photos / web cam captures to follow.

!!! And now let the games begin!

July 29, 2014 - Oshawa - Oshawa Activity

CPF Postmaster Reports:

July 29th - 2014
Hi All,
I just saw all 3 of our peregrines in flight, Salveo was chasing one parent and the second parent was dive bombing her as they all flew around the hospital area. Salveo was doing a lot of screeching and also was very capable at landing on the roof ledge and taking off a number of times. What a thrill! Saw one of the parent do a very close fly by of a louvered area to try to flush out some pigeons.

BREAKING NEWS. New Female On Camera at MEC.

July 29, 2014 - Mississauga - Executive Centre

Tracy Simpson Reports:

Over the past two days there has been renewed activity in the MEC nest box that has been quite evident by the craters that the adults are now digging.  This intensity of activity is not usual for this time of year; house cleaning and rebonding for sure but this is something more serious.  Watchers of the camera at MEC were able to capture today several images of a banded female in the box currently bonding with the resident unbanded male.  The female on camera is donning a purple USFW band on her right leg and a black over red recovery band on her left.  She is definitely of American origins and we will be out at the site over the next few days working to try and get a positive identification from her bands.

While this news is somewhat sad after Rogue’s triumphant return to the wild from rehab, it is not unusual for the MEC nest site.  Over the past 6 years there has been so many FEMALE turnovers that it is hard to keep track.  Here’s what we know;

2009 breeding season begins with resident female Tessie who hatched three but at banding found dead next to the nest box.  Chicks are removed for their safety and fostered at the William Osler Hospital nest site.  New female banded black over red with a silver USFW maintains the territory.

2010 nesting season begins with new resident female banded black rotated 8 over red rotated 8 named Infinity hatched at Statler Towers in Buffalo.  She hatches four young.

2011 nesting season begins with the same resident female Infinity but failed to hatch eggs.  Territorial battles between Infinity and an unbanded female witnessed.  Infinity holds the site into the late fall to early winter.

2012 nesting season begins with new resident female now unbanded and named Rogue who hatches three young.  She is injured in a territorial battle during fledge period with another female banded black over green and is sent to rehab.  The new female maintains the territory for the rest of the year.

2013 nesting season begins with same resident female as the fall identified as Cass from Michigan who hatches two chicks successfully.  She is found dead in July.  Rogue is released from rehab in August and reclaims her territory.

2014 nesting season begins with resident female as Rogue after her release from rehab and identified by her silver USFW on her left leg.  She successfully hatches a single male chick this year.  She has just recently been displaced by a black over red banded female and her disposition is unknown.

The CPF has been monitoring the MEC site for over a decade now and from 2009 onward the control of the MEC airspace by resident females has been in dispute and the resident adult female changes regularly.  During the past 6 nesting seasons there has been 4 different females ruling the box and as of now there is a fifth.  This is probably the most hotly contested site in all of southern Ontario as this is such an incredible nesting site with all of the best aspects laying right in the path of an important north/south corridor in the west end of the GTA.   We will be out over the next few days to the MEC site as often as we can to identify the new female and look for signs of Rogue still in the area.  Given that Mason, this year’s offspring, was so early and has long since reached a good level of flight skill, it is likely that he was well out of the way during this recent exchange.  Check back regularly for updates on the status of the MEC territory and the identity of this new female on camera.  Camera captures will be posted shortly.

All Four Doing Great at William Osler

July 29, 2014 - Etobicoke - William Osler

Tracy Simpson Reports:

Over the past week or so I have stopped in briefly at the William Osler nest site to check up on the family and how they are progressing.  The four juveniles have certainly grown fast in their experience with flying and are doing incredibly well.  When I first was checking in on them shortly after the fledge watch ended, they were all flying like little hyper mosquitos around the hospital buzzing and screaming at each other from perch to perch.  This past week they have all graduated to graceful little butterflies and were playing an interesting fame of musical antennas.  Three were perched on top of the antennas on the northwest side of the hospital when the fourth would come in overtop.  The juvenile in flight would then attempt to kite down on to the back of a sitting sibling and if successful in touching the roosting birds back, the sibling at rest would take off of the antenna and the kiting juvenile would then land.  This game went on for over an hour and was participated in by all four youngsters.  A game of skill that they were all excelling at.  Great job Hurricane and Chessie!

Last week the naming contest for these four youngsters closed and by the end of the week we will be announcing the names of this years juveniles at the William Osler nest site so check back in soon!!