April 28, 2014 - Toronto - Mount Sinai Hospital
Linda Woods Reports:
A quick visit to Mount Sinai today and I found “Seven” having a meal on the 2nd ledge east side. I did not see Hunter, although he may have been out of my view. One large T.V passed over the area and no reaction from the peregrines. A few minutes later, a smaller T.V floated over the area and much lower. We waited and out came “Seven” on the chase to push out the low flying T.V. She made contact with the vulture over the area of College and Bay streets, and continued the chase. Can’t tell you what happened to the T.V, it was very low. I suspect Seven grounded the T.V. and then flew back to Mount Sinai. All was quiet after that. It doesn’t appear at this time they are paying much attention to one particular ledge of the hospital. More observations will be required to confirm if they do indeed have eggs.
Posted on April 28, 2014 5:41 pm
April 28, 2014 - Toronto - King Street
Marion Nash Reports:
No hatch yet, 4 eggs showing and Mom taking a break.
Posted on April 28, 2014 10:58 am
April 28, 2014 - Hamilton - Sheraton Hotel
CPF Postmaster Reports:
April 28th-2014
While we can’t actually say that the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel pair have laid a second clutch of eggs, it appears that the resident adult female is once again in full incubation mode, this time at the other end of the nest ledge, and Madam X is down hard in full incubation mode.
Interestingly, the first two eggs laid have been completely abandoned by the pair (with one of the eggs having been left abandoned), and the other egg having disappeared from view altogether.
A very bizarre happening indeed given the way that this serious of events have so far played out. Typically, the same female won’t start laying a second clutch of eggs until the first clutch has either been destroyed or eaten - (or absent)…. It is (in part), the absence of eggs at this hormonal stage that stimulates the female to go back into egg production mode, (and copulation between the male and female starts again).
One of the many tricks of the captive breeder to get the female to start egg production again and re-clutch for a second time in the same season. Once the first set of eggs have been removed from the incubating female - (at a particular time frame shortly after incubation starts), she can be stimulated into breeding and egg production mode again for the second time in the same season. Both the timing of the action, the time of year, the females hormones and her health has to be right for a second clutch of eggs.
This same procedure can sometimes be safely completed for a third time in the same breeding season to encourage the female into allowing copulation to take place and laying a third clutch of eggs.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out and see what is actually happening?
Stay tuned……..
Posted on April 28, 2014 10:07 am
April 28, 2014 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
CPF Postmaster Reports:
April 28th - 2014
Updated news today, a quick check of the nest box found one of the resident adults still in what appears to be in incubation mode. Given the dates and time frames since the pair went down on eggs, a hatch should have happened, or very close!!
Stay tuned for more news……
Posted on April 28, 2014 3:34 am
April 28, 2014 - Toronto - Don Mills and Eglinton - Amexon
CPF Postmaster Reports:
Monday April 28th - 2014
A quick site visit to the Don Mills nest site revealed what we were all suspecting, full time incubation is well underway and four eggs!!
While the Don Mills pair are now into their third year of nesting, they have chosen to set up house on the east column top of 250 Ferrand Drive instead of the sister building at 150.
For the past few weeks, the pair have been observed coming and going from a ledge on the top of an east facing column on 250 Ferrand Drive and obviously decided to utilize this new spot to lay and incubate their eggs.
The timing of my visit was perfect, as I caught the two involved in a shift change and was easily able to snap a few photos of resident adult moving onto the eggs. The best news, is that they are in hard incubation with 4 eggs and we’re all pretty excited about this news. Sadly, although, I was not able to get an identity of either resident adult birds given the speed of the shift change and my viewing angle.
Stay tuned,,,,,,,,,,
Posted on April 28, 2014 2:28 am
April 27, 2014 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
I would bet that we have a hatch at the Lift Bridge. Cirrus was very active in the nest box this afternoon. Up and down, up and down, and at times, her tail was hanging over the edge of the box. This is the first day that we have actually been able to see her in the box.
Mackenzie is up to his old tricks of hunting the pigeon holes when the bridge is open for a full lift. It is so amazing to watch him at this. He looks and looks into the various holes until he finds one that looks promising. Then it is a dive in to see what he can bring out. Unfortunately, Bill lost sight of him and we don’t know if he was successful.
This afternoon we found Mackenzie hanging out in the Hamilton Hydro Tower. He was very alert and watching all that was going on around him. All of a sudden, like a shot he left the tower and the next thing we know he was attacking a poor Gull that I guess, just got a little too close. The Gull screamed and made an abrupt turn and was out of there. Mackenzie made a quick check of the nest box and then landed n the front face of the Hamilton Tower. All was quite when we left.
If there is a hatch, now we wait to see how man little white heads will appear.
Posted on April 27, 2014 6:00 pm
April 22, 2014 - International, National and Local News
Robert Williams Reports:
During winter birding outings on the Stoney Creek mountain, we observed a peregrine on a pole at the quarry on 10th road. Unfortunately it would not cooperate and show its legs, so we couldn’t get band information.
We kept checking back periodically, with no more luck until an early April birding report. Sure enough, we could see that there were in fact two peregrines at the quarry, having taken over the raven nest, (and the ravens were still at the quarry too). Again, though, despite repeat trips back we couldn’t get close enough to the birds to see if they were banded. They were certainly copulating and seemed to be in incubation as well.
Good news finally though, Tracy Simpson was apparently able to get a shot of the female showing her bands and identifying her as Athena, formerly of the Stoney Creek Fruitland site. Still hoping to id the male and see if Craig has joined her there, or if she has a new partner.
Posted on April 24, 2014 8:31 pm
April 24, 2014 - Hamilton - Sheraton Hotel
CPF Postmaster Reports:
April 24th - 2014
Sadly, one of the eggs at the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel nest site has disappeared, likely eaten by one (or both) of the resident pair and the remaining egg has been abandoned altogether by Madam X. While sad news, this is not an unusual happening. So far this year, we have already seen several other clutches of eggs destroyed and eaten by the resident pair at two other nest sites here in southern Ontario, and at several other nest sites each year over the past years.
Look at what the Port Colborne nest site has been going through over the past three years with incredible territorial battles going on each year, and the destruction of several clutches of eggs each season as a result - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/c/sightings/port-colborne-adm-mill
While we can only speculate as to the cause, (and there are many things that cause the peregrines to abandon and /or consume their eggs), it is our experience that one of the most often documented explanations for a pair to abandon, destroy or consume their eggs comes from pressures as a result of territorial disputes from other peregrines challenging the resident pair for their territory or the nest sites.
While the fighting between outsiders and the resident pairs can get quite aggressive (well documented over the years, with physical combat going on in the nest boxes and nest ledges themselves), some times resulting in the injury or death of one or more of the birds, squabbling and fighting is just as evident in aerial battles that can take place some distance from the actual nest site itself. Its all about protecting your territory, and some of our urban pairs have huge territories!
Also remember that this is the time of year when allot of our northern Ontario’s peregrines are only just returning from their wintering grounds in the south, now passing through the area on the way back up north to their home turfs, and the single unattached birds are looking for both mates and territories, and in usual peregrine form, have no problem challenging whom ever they encounter on the way to win over a mate and territory. This is how Surge acquired the Hamilton Sheraton territory and Madam X several years ago. He wasn’t invited.
Stay tuned, it could get very interesting……….
The good news is, the breeding season is still in full swing, hormones levels are high, and there is plenty of time to produce and/or re-clutch additional eggs.
As far as our resident northern Ontario peregrines, many of them are still not even back on territory and still weeks away from even producing their own eggs.
Posted on April 24, 2014 12:15 pm
April 23, 2014 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
CPF Postmaster Reports:
April 23rd - 2014
A huge thank you to Chris Currie from Damar Security Systems for visiting the Etobicoke nest site today and getting web cam one up and running again. Sadly, I was out all day today and away from a computer and was unable to get any peregrine views today, but Chris did send us a great close-up photo of the eggs in the nest tray and a short avi video clip that he recorded while on site. The good news about the camera, it was only a faulty camera power supply and its been replaced. Camera one is back up and running!
To see the avi video clip, simply
Copy and past this link into your browser - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5nqzk6vxufq2uhr/eeGLkR2kR7#lh:null-20140423_165405_347.avi
If the eggs were any bigger, poor Jack would have a heck of a time incubating!!
Sadly, the internet connection is slow and with both cameras now working again, it does take a longer time to load both images.
Looking good,, stay tuned
Posted on April 23, 2014 2:25 am
April 21, 2014 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Marion Nash Reports:
went out today and spent 2 hours observing. Nothing much happened.
Haven was on the south face of Rio-Can most of the time. The first time she flew it was south on the west side of Canada Square, across the south end of the building and then she emerged flying east along Eglinton before turning around and coming back towards Rio-Can. She flew north and disappeared only to show up over Rio-Can and the Eglinton/Duplex intersection. She disappeared again for a while and then flew back to Rio-can from over 53 Division. She perched for a while and preened and stretched often before flying again and she did not re-appear before I left. I did not see Stormin at all.
Cheers
Lyn
Posted on April 22, 2014 10:39 pm
