May 01, 2013 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
As reported by Tracy Simpson after her and Bruce Massey’s visit here, our resident falcons have found a new nesting site. It is at a location about 5 km North of our facility. With all the stress causing Trillum to destroy her eggs here (presumibly because of the young female from Niagara Falls) they have decided to give it another shot at a different location. However, there is still activity in the nest box here. The Sub adult intruder has been hanging out at our site & I think she has set up shop in our nest box. Buffalo Bill may have his hands full servicing both these girls. More to come!!
Posted on May 1, 2013 10:29 pm
April 30, 2013 - Mississauga - Holcim
CPF Postmaster Reports:
April 30th - 2013
We have just received word from Holcim that they have confirmed that there is 4 eggs in the nest bowl! This is great news.
Congratulations Holcim!
Posted on May 1, 2013 10:10 am
May 01, 2013 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:
Jack landed on the ADP sign about 5 minutes ago! Those of you that follow this site know that’s the signal..a hatch is imminent as he doesn’t spend much or any time at all there outside of nesting season! Eyes will be peeled now for additional signs.
10:30 am and O’connor refused a break and Jack left.
11:15 : Jack was just seen and heard clearing air space and going after a Red Tail quite aggressively as it came over our building. I saw him dive on it several times. He’s over on a nest ledge now just around the corner from the nest. No visible signs of anything happening as yet from the nest box - not from the ground at least.
2:15 pm: O’connor is out on a break enjoying the great weather. I haven’t seen her out there soaring like this in a very long time. She’s making donuts around all the rooftops and clearing them as she goes..but in a lazy manner, there is no aggressiveness to her actions. She flew out into the residential area and flew around and just soared with the winds we are having. That might be another sign that nothing has happened yet as females generally like to stay close when a hatch is taking place.
Posted on May 1, 2013 9:46 am
April 28, 2013 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
CPF Volunteer Reports:
We have all been watching the live web camera at the MEC nest site very closely these days as Cass and Sante are due for a hatch any day now. On Sunday, we were able to capture the image of the four eggs as the adults did a quick changeover and there was no sign of a crack or pip indicating that a hatch was occurring. This morning, the eggs were again revealed briefly during a changeover and we believe that a hatch is imminent!! The adults are both very restless and fidgety on the eggs; changeovers and repositioning happening with much greater frequency. This is very exciting to see Sante and Cass so close to parenthood and we look forward to the appearance of the first little head at this site!!
The images were captured today. As I write this the adult is standing and pacing!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on April 30, 2013 12:24 pm
April 30, 2013 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On Sunday, Bruce and I attended the Etobicoke Sun Life nest site to check up on O’Connor and Jack’s progress towards hatching eggs. We travelled back along Eagle Road for a view of the nest tray and we could see that O’Connor was in the tray laying down with her tail braced against the edge and her back feathers somewhat elevated. We decided to take an elevated look to determine whether any of the eggs had hatched yet as she is due any day now.
I found O’Connor in the tray and she was all dreamy faced. She was sleeping for the most part and boy is she ever cute… …when she’s sleeping! She was positioned like a muffin top but not quite the full arch that we saw last year when her first egg had hatched. There was no evidence of a shell or a young one beneath her yet but Bruce and I agree that she is very close. Jack was not in the area at the time and was most likely out on an evening hunt as O’Connor had clearly already eaten. Of course I took a jillion pictures in the hopes of a quick reveal and I was not disappointed when she repositioned. My little superzoom can do some pretty amazing distances. No little heads yet in view but close!!
I will be back to check on the pair again today to see if we have our first hatch at Etobicoke Sun Life.
Posted on April 30, 2013 11:53 am
April 28, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station
Bruce Massey Reports:
I was down to visit Peter and Angela on Sunday to check on their progress after they abandoned their nest last week. I found both adults in view on the main building and often times using the platform up on the back of the stack to roost and preen. Peter continues to mate with Angela but it is unclear whether they will have eggs and where. I will continue to update you on the progress of Hearn this nesting season and we hope that they pair settle on a suitable ledge soon.
Posted on April 30, 2013 11:34 am
April 28, 2013 - Mississauga - Holcim
Tracy Simpson Reports:
This weekend Bruce and I decided on a check up of Storm and Caspian at Holcim Cement after the juvenile intrusion last week. When we arrived there were no peregrines in view and so we scanned about for a roosting adult. Nothing. We continued to search the plant and all of the usual perches. Nada! I sat down on the sidewalk on Avonhead Road and decided that I would relax and enjoy my coffee before we headed back to the Raptor Centre and call it a day. Just then, a bird came whipping over the top of the Holcim fence no more than 12 feet off of the ground, skimmed the top of the fence on our side of the road and then swooped along the contour of the berm to the other side. Now at first all I caught was grey and big so the first thing I am thinking, based on flight style, is that this is a Cooper’s hawk. I saw the starlings and blackbirds scatter on the other side of the berm and knew the bird was circling back. Right over the top of the fence comes the little stealth bomber… …it’s Storm!!! With a mouthful of coffee I could barely get out “peregrine” and just waved and grunted until Bruce caught sight of him. Storm went low over the Holcim fence and then coursed along the front of the small silos facing Avonhead Road and circled back into the heart of the plant. WOW!! That was cool!! Bruce started walking up the road to see if he could spot Storm hunting over the main plant area and just as he was well out of earshot, here comes Storm again! He flew down through the center of the plant, under the conveyor, barely over the top of the fence, across the road at 12 feet and back along the far side of the berm! This show of stealth, control and use of the natural contours of the land for cover was outstanding!! I waved madly at Bruce but he couldn’t hear me and so when Storm came whipping back through, I was the only one to catch sight of it. He crossed to the Holcim plant and swooped up to the nest ledge, said a quick hello to his girl and he was off to the roof of the low silos. He sat there for about 5 minutes preening before he was off again into the heart of the Holcim plant and out of view.
Incredible!! Awesome!! Not enough expletives to describe the technique we were able to witness by Storm. Bravo young man, bravo!!!!!
Posted on April 30, 2013 11:30 am
December 31, 1969 - North York - Nest
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On Friday after I finished spending time with the Canada Square folks, I made my way north on Yonge St to see if I could locate the unbanded male and unnamed Buffalo female at the Trans America building at Elmwood. When I arrived I found the male at the very top of the building on the east side. He was perched on the edge of an area that Bruce calls “the prow” as it really is shaped similarly to the prow of a ship. The female was on the north side of the building on an upper ledge perch on a potlight. The male took off of his perch and made a spectacular flight northeast on a hunt that brought him at one point low over Mel Lastman Sq. He was back in a few minutes but without the prize he was seeking. Within 5 minutes he was off again in the same direction and this time was away for almost 15 minutes before returning empty taloned. The female remained on her perch throughout his flights and watched to see if he was successful. The female finally took off on a foray of her own, circled back and landed on the RBC building across the street. There she checked all of the cache spots for food on the signs, the corners and the roof but none was to be found. She flew off of the RBC and circled over Mel Lastman Sq. before flying to the north ledge of the Trans America and disappearing into the ledge. She remained tucked in and out of view for over 40 minutes while the male made another attempt at a hunt. He was much more successful this time and landed on the north RBC sign calling her. She didn’t emerge from the spot on the ledge that I had witnessed her entering and so he cached the prey and flew over to the northeast corner of the overhang above the ledge where she was located. She waddled out from behind a large potlight, looked up at him and started to wail!! “Dinner!! Now!!” She was relentless in her calling of him and when he didn’t move, she flew over to the Invesco building and waited, whining high and loud over the rush hour traffic. He flew in and mated with her but that didn’t stop her demanding. The male returned to his high perch on the “prow” of Trans America and she followed. She physically knocked him off of his perch, all the time whining and begging, and so he circled around and mated with her a second time. The male now flew down to RBC and showed her where the food was if she wanted it and took off to the northeast. She finally came down off of the “prow” of Trans America and ate before returning to the same spot on the north side of their building of interest.
While there has not been any signs off eggs yet it would seem that the pair have not given up. Bruce will be checking out the ledges this week to see if they have indeed picked a spot and whether any eggs are being laid.
Posted on April 29, 2013 8:20 am
April 28, 2013 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
After a couple of visits to the Lift Bridge today, we finally witnessed a food delivery to the nest box. Mom left the box and searched for scraps. First to the picnic tables and then to the Hamilton Hydro Tower. She picked up a very small package from the Hydro Tower and returned to the nest box.
This afternoon, Bill also witnessed an all out attack on a Red-Tailed Hawk by both Mom and Dad. Unfortunately there are no photos as the pursuit continued on the other side of the Skyway Bridge.
Posted on April 28, 2013 5:20 pm
April 27, 2013 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On Friday I stopped in at the Canada Square nest site at Yonge and Eglinton to check in on Haven and Stormin’s progress towards hatching eggs this year. I was delighted to meet up with Neil Armstrong from Northan Realty and his collegue Cameron Reynolds who took me up to the suite for a period of observation. I found Haven standing in the nest bowl re-adjusting her three beautiful eggs, giving them a good turn before settling back down. She was feeling rather dreamy and was relaxing on the ledge, at times talking in her sleep and calling Stormin for dinner. Stormin did make a great fly by to check up on her and she chupped at him as he passed. She gave me a brief look at her precious eggs and I can confirm for certain that there are three. It won’t be long now before the eggs begin to hatch as the first egg was calculated as being laid on March 30th based on observations by myself, Neil and Cameron. We will begin looking for the first hatch to arrive around May 1st. Thanks so much to Neil and Cameron of Northam Realty for all of their support and care of the resident pair, you are fabulous hosts.
The first 5 pictures attached were taken by Cameron Reynolds from Northam Realty and the last few were taken by myself on Friday. Thanks again to all for your support!!
Posted on April 28, 2013 10:28 am
