July 11th - 2014
We have been able to pull together the banding event for Saturday July 12th at 10am in the main lobby of the Lakeridge Hospital!
You are all invited to attend!
Please come out and support your peregrines.
Stay tuned for banding photos and details…………..
July 11th - 2014
To the rescue - again. Manpower, resources time and allot of tender loving care by all! If these birds only realized what we have all been through to help them,, (they’d likely think that we were all a lot crazzzzy). Perhaps they maybe right,,,, but we’re all in good company, and I’m certainly not alone!!
The next call came from Mark Heaton from the OMNR, with an injured fledgling in hand that was retrieved and rescued from the ground in the west end of Toronto near the Toronto airport. The young female fledgling was likely produced from our elusive pair of peregrines that have been nesting and producing offspring out at the airport hotel strip,, (a pair that we have yet to locate their actual nesting site). This would be the second year in a row that a young fledgling has been retrieved and rescued in distress from the ground in this same neighbourhood.
The plan was for Mark to keep the bird overnight, band it, and get it to Tracy Simpson from the CPF to transfer to the CPF raptor centre where Mark Nash from the CPF would pick it up from there and get it to the avian vet. Because the birds injuries were not at all life threatening and no medical emergency existed, we would be able to schedule an appointment with the vet as opposed to declare this situation a medical emergency and disrupt other existing patients scheduled appointments at the veterinary hospital.
The fledgling spent the first night with Mark Heaton, where he was able to band it. Mark’s daughter - Kethra helped Mark with the banding, fed it, and named it “Aveda”
So, as planned, and like a tag-team, Tracy hooked up with Mark Heaton the nest morning to pick up the fledgling, drove it to the CPF Raptor centre. where Mark Nash was her connecting flight from the CPF Raptor centre to Dr. Markus Lackwaldt, CPF’s avian vet, for a medical examination and treatment.
Its lucky that the birds injuries were not life threatening, as it would have surely died with all of the traffic congestion as a result of the construction on every major east and west roadway across the top and bottom of the city!! Almost 5 hours stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and an entire tank of gas for this round trip!!!
In any event, the net results were well worth it! After more than an hour of examination and treatment, the young female fledgling - “Aveda” was cleared to be released back to its parents after a short 24 hour hold over to observe its behaviour and function. The young female fledgling was surprisingly in very good condition, a good weight - (850 grams), and no superficial injuries or broken or fractured bones. Bruised and shaken as a result of its grounding, with the usual lack of confidence that easily defeats the young fledglings, it was starting to exhibit the feisty peregrine attitude by the end of the examination.
The bird was rehydrated in addition to receiving a liquid vitamin and mineral supplement, and with a full belly of some of the best food supplement that it will ever likely get, was released back to our care under Dr. Luckwaldt’s supervision for a 24 hour hold-over period for observations. If everything goes as we suspect it will, the young “Aveda” should be back to its parents (who ever they are) by tomorrow.
Stay tuned………
July 10th - 2014
Some great news to report,, in that Simcoe, the young peregrine that was produced here at the Canada Square nest site at Yonge & Eglinton back in 2012 has surfaced with a mate, and they have been successful in producing their first hatchling in Oshawa, at the Lakeridge Health Centre Hospital.
We have scheduled a banding for this young hatchling this Saturday - July 12th at 10am, and you are all invited to attend.
You can read the whole story on the CPF web site - International, National and local news pages at:
http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/c/sightings/international-national-local-peregrine-news
July 7th - 2014
Some really great news to report! During my spot check of the young Scarborough fledglings on Monday, I received a telephone call from Ann who reported reading a report of peregrine activity in Oshawa by the president and CEO at the Lakeridge Hospital.
By the time I got home that evening, I opened e-mail communication from the President and CEO of Lakeridge Health Oshawa with a report and suspicions of territorial peregrine activity at the hospital. After reviewing his photos that he attached to his e-mail, it was easy to re-confirm that his feathered visitors were indeed peregrines, (peregrines that are known to us), and his report of the harassment by two adult peregrines that his maintenance staff had received earlier while conducting roof inspections suggested that something else was going on other than just territorial behaviour.
A site visit was scheduled for the afternoon of July 10th.
Thursday July 10th - 2014
I met with Kevin and several senior members of the hospital staff and we proceeded to one of the north upper roof elevations to investigate further. Moments after our arrival to the roof , we were immediately met by two very vocal and rather annoyed adult peregrines that were already airborne, stooping and diving at our presence. I was directed to a lower elevation and quickly scanned the rooftop with nothing unusual to report. Despite not seeing anything after clearly seeing 98% of this very small roof elevation, the adult peregrines were far tooo upset with me to just be protecting a territory or food caches, so I asked if the latter could be moved to take a look at the other end of the roof.
The latter was repositioned that allowed me a view of the last few feet of this particular roof elevation where my original view had been partially obstructed by a chimney that exited from the top of the roof. It didn’t take but a second once the latter was repositioned to see the tiny secret that the chimney was hiding. A single small young peregrine hatchling was observed, looking quite healthy and very alert indeed!
The resident adults were photographed by all and hopefully we will be able to confirm their identity via the leg band identification as both adults are in fact banded. The larger female dawns a Black over Green leg band and the adult dawns a Solid Black leg band, with Yellow tape overtop of his silver leg band.
We suspect that this pair is the very same pair that attempted to nest on the Oshawa City hall back in April of this year that we were monitoring, where three eggs were produced. Sadly, the pair abandoned the nest ledge and their three eggs the following week after our site visit as a result of a heavy rain and wind storm moved in that drenched the ledge with water and high winds. Typical of most commercial urban rooftops, with the lack of suitable nesting sub- straight, and water accumulation are among some of the many reasons the peregrine nests fail in these environments. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the necessary funding support we needed that would have allowed us to manufacture a suitable nest box and get it installed in time to prevent this inevitable outcome.
The nesting Oshawa city hall peregrines were both identified via their leg bands by the photos that I was able to take during my site visit. Both of these peregrines are know to us as the same pair that Rob photographed in Whitby back in January of this year.
We have confirmed that the resident nesting adult female at the hospital is in fact the same female that attempted to nest at the Oshawa City hall back in April of this year. The adult female peregrine was hatched in 2012 in New York State in the USA. She dawns a Black over Green leg band – 73 over AW and she was named “Alfrieda”,,,, named after one of the architects of the Central Terminal in Buffalo NY USA where she was produced.
Her solid Black banded male mate - band # 63 over X with Yellow tape overtop of his silver USFW band on the other leg is one that we banded on May 24 2012, produced at the Canada Square nest site. ** We have not confirmed that this is the resident male at the hospital as yet.
If it is in fact the same male, he was named “Simcoe”, (and was produced at the Canada Square nest site at the Yonge & Eglinton nest here in up-town Toronto). You can see the history of the Canada Square nest site on the CPF web site at - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/c/sightings/toronto-uptown-yonge-and-eglinton
Given the age of young Hospital hatchling, there remains a very short window of opportunity to get it safely banded. Thank goodness for Kevin and the hospital team for all of their incredible support and cooperation, and the dedication and amazing support of Mark Heaton from the Ministry of Natural resources, as I was able to coordinate in part a banding time for this Saturday!! Scramble, you bet,, but by Saturday morning, the little peregrine hatchling will be named, examined for it health, banded and returned safely back to its parents.
Stay tuned for additional news, as its going to come fast and furious given the rather short time this has all taken place!
Thursday July 10th - 2014
I met with Kevin and several senior members of the hospital staff and we proceeded to one of the north upper roof elevations to investigate further. Moments after our arrival to the roof , we were immediately met by two very vocal and rather annoyed adult peregrines that were already airborne, stooping and diving at our presence. I was directed to a lower elevation and quickly scanned the rooftop with nothing unusual to report. Despite not seeing anything after clearly seeing 98% of this very small roof elevation, the adult peregrines were far tooo upset with me to just be protecting a territory or food caches, so I asked if the latter could be moved to take a look at the other end of the roof.
The latter was repositioned that allowed me a view of the last few feet of this particular roof elevation where my original view had been partially obstructed by a chimney that exited from the top of the roof. It didn’t take but a second once the latter was repositioned to see the tiny secret that the chimney was hiding. A single small young peregrine hatchling was observed, looking quite healthy and very alert indeed!
The resident adults were photographed by all and hopefully we will be able to confirm their identity via the leg band identification as both adults are in fact banded. The larger female dawns a Black over Green leg band and the adult dawns a Solid Black leg band, with Yellow tape overtop of his silver leg band.
We suspect that this pair is the very same pair that attempted to nest on the Oshawa City hall back in April of this year that we were monitoring, where three eggs were produced. Sadly, the pair abandoned the nest ledge and their three eggs the following week after our site visit as a result of a heavy rain and wind storm moved in that drenched the ledge with water and high winds. Typical of most commercial urban rooftops, with the lack of suitable nesting sub- straight, and water accumulation are among some of the many reasons the peregrine nests fail in these environments. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the necessary funding support we needed that would have allowed us to manufacture a suitable nest box and get it installed in time to prevent this inevitable outcome.
The nesting Oshawa city hall peregrines were both identified via their leg bands by the photos that I was able to take during my site visit. Both of these peregrines are know to us as the same pair that Rob photographed in Whitby back in January of this year.
We have confirmed that the resident nesting adult female at the hospital is in fact the same female that attempted to nest at the Oshawa City hall back in April of this year. The adult female peregrine was hatched in 2012 in New York State in the USA. She dawns a Black over Green leg band – 73 over AW and she was named “Alfrieda”,,,, named after one of the architects of the Central Terminal in Buffalo NY USA where she was produced.
Her solid Black banded male mate - band # 63 over X with Yellow tape overtop of his silver USFW band on the other leg is one that we banded on May 24 2012, produced at the Canada Square nest site. ** We have not confirmed that this is the resident male at the hospital as yet.
If it is in fact the same male, he was named “Simcoe”, (and was produced at the Canada Square nest site at the Yonge & Eglinton nest here in up-town Toronto). You can see the history of the Canada Square nest site on the CPF web site at - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/c/sightings/toronto-uptown-yonge-and-eglinton
Given the age of young Hospital hatchling, there remains a very short window of opportunity to get it safely banded. Thank goodness for Kevin and the hospital team for all of their incredible support and cooperation, and the dedication and amazing support of Mark Heaton from the Ministry of Natural resources, as I was able to coordinate in part a banding time for this Saturday!! Scramble, you bet,, but by Saturday morning, the little peregrine hatchling will be named, examined for it health, banded and returned safely back to its parents.
Stay tuned for additional news, as its going to come fast and furious given the rather short time this has all taken place!
July 9th - 2014
At 11:45pm last night my cell phone range out and had my scrambling to locate my phone. I must admit, I hesitated to actually answer the phone once I found it as calls that come in at this hour of the night are not usually attached with good news. This is the time of year when the fledge watches are over and we’ve already had to deal with the fledge mortality that is typical of the fledge watch period.
While the young fledglings are now able to hold their own altitude and no longer in need of our direct assistance rescuing them from the sidewalks and other ground dangers, it is the time when the we see the mortality increase again as the young fledgling peregrines are now way toooo over confident and get careless with the incredible speed that they have built up. If they haven’t already learned about windows early on in their first flights, making contact with windows at this stage of their flight development usually spells disaster and the mortality numbers increases yet again.
Well, the call came from the security desk across the street from the Yellow pages nest site, with security telling me that one of the young peregrine falcons was lying on its side on the ground out in the corner of their parking lot at 305 Milner and asked if someone was available to attend and could help the bird. They had one of their other security officers out in parking lot guarding the bird concerned that the bird wold be at risk as there were a number of wild cats and raccoons in the area.
So, it was back in the car out and on the road at midnight rushing to the Scarborough Milner business court location. I was met in the darkened parking lot by one of the Milner business court security officers who lead me out to where the bird was laying. As I approached , I prepared myself for the worst and remembering taking a deep breath in an effort to deal with what I was expecting to see.
Well, much to my surprise, the bird turned out to be a young fledgling pigeon, one that had obviously hit one of the office buildings and had sustained server injuries as a result of the impact. I was able to retrieve the bird and placed it into the rescue carrier wrapped in one of the towels for safe transport. Sadly, the bird died prior to arriving back home.
I believe Thea has taken up resting and soaking up the sun. I haven’t seen her in a few days.
This is a really short report.
I can state categorically that I saw all three juveniles this evening. As usual I was unable to identify them by band colour but their colour and full tails indicated they were the juveniles. Haven has a couple of tail feathers and wing feathers missing and Malik also has tail feathers missing. All the tail feathers were there on the birds seen today.
They were full of the joys for a short while then they disappeared.
They flew high over Canada Square and then increased their height and flew around and over the tall condo on Yonge street. It was wonderful to see all three playing together! One would separate from the other two and disappear only to reappear again and join the twosome. There was a game of catch-me-if-you-can, tag-you’re-it, talon touching and of course touch-’n-go where the juvie lightly touches down on some high point then flies to the next one. I only had about twenty minutes of intermittent activity and then nothing at which point I left.
Lyn
Dropped by the nest site Thursday–only saw Mac! He did some nice flying for me! On Friday I was lucky enough to see both the boys–hanging out together! Such brotherly love-wonderful to see them!
The few times I checked the King St area, Thea was not in view. She must be venturing out of the area during the day, as I have not seen her since Sunday morning. One adult was seen this evening on the roof top of 18 King St. but I did not see Thea in the area. Adults must have her in their view.