January 04, 2013 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:
This morning around 9 am a coworker cam running over to my desk to inform me that there was a dead peregrine falcon on the rooftop outside her window.
It was not one of our juveniles but instead a Juvenile Red Tail Hawk, she was very large and absolutely gorgeous. I saw her two days ago hunting over the Bell Building across the street and remember thinking - you better not let O’connor see you!
Mark informed me that an adult Red Tail wouldn’t come near the nest site however this gal being a juvenile wouldn’t have known the danger. I expect she did run into O’connor as she was directly between the nest site building and the centre tower and her injuries and positioning would indicate she had been aggressively driven to the rooftop.
Both Jack and O’Connor have been velcroed to the nest ledge for the past 5 hours in the exact same positions so I expect this altercation happened very early this morning as both seem to be ‘on alert’.
Many thanks to the Security Team at Sunlife for taking me out and helping with the retreival of her body.
Posted on January 4, 2013 3:09 pm
January 02, 2013 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:
Happy New Year Falcon Fans! My first check in after an absence of 10 days and I was surprised, that in spite of the cold temperatures, to hear chupping coming from the nest ledge!
Jack was by the nest box and O’connor flew in from the South to land on the web cam and the chup-fest continued so all is well here as we start a brand new year!
Posted on January 2, 2013 9:38 am
December 30, 2012 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I have been out at MEC almost once per week since this new female arrived on site. I have struggled, squinted, sweated and sworn that I would get this girl’s band number by hook or by crook. I am convinced that she knows what I am after and has been taunting me from her perch above with glimpses here and there of her band and I have repeatedly asserted that I would not give up!! Sunday was a great weather day for some spotting, so out I went.
The day was bright but brisk so I stopped off at the local used clothing store to pick up a cheap and cozy sweater ( I forgot to bring one ) and as I reached the check out, I heard a deep voice behind me say, “So, have you got that peregrine yet?”. For a split second I thought, “Are you kidding me? Has the bird now hired people to follow and taunt me?”. I turned to find the friendly and familiar face of one of our great supporters on the Garda Security team from the MEC complex. I shared with him the news regarding the recent presence of the pair but that alas, I had nothing new on the female’s identity.
Ten minutes later I was at MEC 3 and met up with Bruce Massey for some recon and we immediately found the male Sante on the roof of MEC 1 just above the nest box and the female on the south side of MEC 3 under the Dejardins sign. I grabbed the scope and headed across the street for a view of the female as her left leg, the one I needed, was facing outwards. The scope had to be angled sharply up so that I could be as close as I could and tightly zoomed in for a read. I set up and waited patiently for the look I needed.
She sat for 20 minutes without moving and then suddenly, Sante became very restless on his MEC 1 perch and alerted the female to something in the air. She turned and slowly put her left leg forward. With the sun just right and the female holding her position, I was able to see her entire band for the first time in dozens of attempts. GOTCHA!!! The right half of the lower digit was muddied with “gack” but the lines and curves were unmistakable. You have to imagine my elation at this discovery and picture the scene. Here I am braced and tipped over to look into the scope at this sharp angle and now gesticulating wildly at Bruce to get over here and confirm what I was seeing. I always like to have a second pair of eyes check and make sure I am reading this correctly. Bruce and I have confirmed the band number on the MEC female with 99% accuracy as Black S over Green D both rotated left. This female is Cass, hatched in 2009 at the Macomb County building in Mt Clemens, Michigan to Nick and Hathor. Nick is the son of Miriam, a female nesting at the Whittier Apartments in Detroit that the CPF released in 2003 as a part of Project Release and Project Track Em. Miriam and her offspring are famous for their ferocity at their nest sites and her grand daughter Cass is following well in their talon steps.
We only had a few minutes before Cass took off to the southwest and then reappeared above the roof of MEC 2 in stealth attack mode. No alarm calling, just full contact strikes on a Red Tailed that was soaring too close to her buildings. Sante had flushed it and it was Cass’s job to dispatch it. The RT hawk flew around the back of MEC 3 with Cass striking and following in hot pursuit. As I rounded the MEC 3 building, Cass was now sitting perched on the roof retaining wall and the hawk was nowhere to be seen.
After months of painstakingly watching this female, she now has a name; Cass. A great way to start 2013!!!
Posted on January 1, 2013 9:11 am
December 28, 2012 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I was taking a look at all of our web cameras on Friday after the snow storm and when I opened the MEC camera page, I found a box full of snow and evidence of a visit. There were tracks in the snow indicating that one of the adults had been back in the area. I grabbed my camera and decided to head down to MEC for a visit in the hopes of seeing either Sante or the new female on site. I wasn’t to be disappointed.
When I first pulled up I couldn’t see anyone but a quick scan of the building revealed the female at MEC 1 on the top retaining wall above the nest box. She sat there for quite some time and preened away. It was only when I ventured back to my car to warm up that she took off. I swear she knows I’m after her band number still!! She flew around to the Symcor sign and perched on the emblem which is one of her favored spots and was looking west with great interest. It wasn’t long before she took to the air and flew west behind the CIBC building and out of view. Her flight didn’t take her out to the left or right. She went directly behind the building and didn’t reappear. Normally I would leave at this point to another site but today I decided to try and relocate her and find out exactly where she’s going.
I drove west through Square One shopping mall which after a holiday is a big mistake. I dare say that every car on the roads of Mississauga were in that parking lot at that moment!! On the west side of the mall I found a spot where I could stop and scan the area and I found our girl on the top of a very, very tall condo. I watched her head swivelling madly back and forth as she was clearly on a hunt. She took off of the condo and I tracked her as she made a low pass over the western mall parking area and came up empty to the antenna of another tall condo. She perched on the antenna for about 10 minutes and was off again swooping low over the mall. This time she managed to capture a small bird and took it up to the top of the neighboring building’s antenna to eat. She didn’t stay settled for long after her meal as this was just a snack. She flew from antenna to antenna with no luck but she wasn’t giving up. As I pulled away, I felt satisfied to know that she is in the area and that I had discovered her hunting / hangout area. After not having seen either adult for several weeks, its great to know that they are close.
Posted on December 30, 2012 10:01 am
December 24, 2012 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
The last stop on my tour yesterday took me to the Etobicoke Sun Life site in search of O’Connor and Jack. I first pulled up to Eagle Rd. and scanned the buildings with no luck. I circled around to the back of the buildings on the Aberfoyle side and again, no luck. I finally drove down Lomond to the parking lot and found O’Connor on the west tower Moneris sign dotting the “I”. She was alone on her perch but was very intent and interested in something to the northwest. She sat on the sign and preened away with many stretches in between. I must say that as I watched her move, stretch and reposition, she really is a special kind of big!! She IS the dot in the “I” of Moneris!! There she remained and Jack was not to be seen but I expect that he was stuffing her stocking with lots of goodies wherever he was!! O’Connor would be easy to shop for as the only thing on her list is pigeon!!
It was nice to see her home for the holidays and in the coming weeks I hope to find the two home together.
Posted on December 25, 2012 10:22 am
December 24, 2012 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I stopped in on my travels at the Toronto Sheraton Hotel in search of Rhea Mae and her handsome beau Tiago. As there is virtually no place to park, I circled the block and hoped for red lights at every intersection so I could scan the buildings. As I turned east onto Queen St., I looked over at Nathan Phillips Sq. and city hall but it wasn’t the skaters and festivities that caught my attention. There was a lump on the antenna on city hall. Rather than dismiss it, I pulled over and pulled out my binoculars and found Rhea Mae perched on the very top of the antenna! I circled the block again and this time found Tiago on the south side of Richmond St on a building so high I had to stick my head out of the window to see him! I parked the car and decided to take a minute to grab a few pictures of the pair. Rhea Mae was overseeing things at city hall and was clearly on the hunt. I could see her head swivelling back and forth as she watched events below. Tiago was much more restless as he flew back and forth from corner to corner of his chosen building and I could hear him chupping with each landing. Tiago was clearly excited about Rhea Mae’s current interest in hunting. As I left the pair, they remained in their chosen spots and although not as readily seen on camera, they are certainly home for the holidays!!
Posted on December 25, 2012 10:04 am
December 24, 2012 - Toronto - King Street
Tracy Simpson Reports:
My next stop on my travels was at 18 King Street East to check in on Windwhistler and his girl Erin. When I arrived, I could not see a bird anywhere. I check all of the usual spots on the St. James cathedral, Dundee Place, the King Edward and the Toronto St. buildings but no sign of either bird. I stopped in for a bite of lunch and when I came back out, still no peregrines. I walked the block in the hopes of finding them and to the east, I watched a flock of pigeons going absolutely crazy. I travelled back and tried to check the area but I guess a sighting of these two fabulous birds wasn’t meant to be. They were probably out shopping for each other for the holidays!! I will check back in the coming weeks as to just what the pair are up to these days!! Happy holidays Windwhistler and Erin and all of the great folks at 18 King Street East!!
Posted on December 25, 2012 9:30 am
December 24, 2012 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Yesterday I went on a bit of an urban scavenger hunt for peregrines looking for those that were home for the holidays. I started at the Hearn Generating Station looking for Peter and his new un-banded lady love. At first, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. After a scan of the facility and usual hangouts, I changed position and what did I see? A peregrine falcon staring back at me!! The new resident female was on the back side of the stack perched on the railing of the maintenance stairs. She sat there for a few minutes and then took off circling the stack. I watched her stay high and then disappear somewhere on the south side of the facility just east of the stack. She didn’t leave the territory and so I repositioned once again. I found her on the south face of the main building preening the day away. While watching her, it was clear that she had her eye on Peter who was behind me to the south somewhere in the marina area. I couldn’t see him but the looks she gave was not an interest in prey. She remained there waiting for Peter to come home from his last minute shopping and continued to preen and doll up for the holidays.
Nice to see her on site and I look forward to being back down again over the coming weeks to visit the pair.
Posted on December 25, 2012 9:25 am
December 23, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
Our friends in Buffalo have been to check up on Gleig and Diamante, their local pair of Peregrine Falcons. They were found with all normal. Work is to be done on the roof their and that is why the extra monitoring. Vicki and Roger sent along a lovely picture of Gleig near the nest and Diamante all fluffed up against the wind. Thanks for the reports!
Posted on December 23, 2012 8:33 pm
December 22, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
For the past several weeks I have popped in here and there at William Osler to check in on Hurricane and Chessie and have left empty handed each time. Today I finally got a chance to see the pair and what a fantastic couple they are!
Upon arrival, there were no birds in sight. After turning around and starting to make my way out, Hurricane arrived from the east and landed on the nest ledge. He wasn’t there long before he started to alarm call and flew off of the ledge to the south. He was met in the air by another falcon and the two sped of towards the northeast and out of sight. I repositioned and waited.
A few minutes later, Chessie flies in from the east and she is battling the winds to make it home with her present; a huge pigeon. Hot on her tail feathers is Hurricane and the two fly up to the eastern “H” sign and land. Chessie takes a minute to re-balance and Hurricane sat watching, waiting, and anticipating. Chessie began eating as Hurricane moved to the opposite end of the sign to wait. After about 5 minutes, Hurricane could take it no longer. He put on his “I’m so super cute” face and ran like a little kid down the sign to Chessie. Did I say ran? More like waddled in the blustery winds that were battering the sign. So down he goes ( waddle, waddle, waddle ) to Chessie and is whining like a juvenile the whole way. He stops just short of reaching her and as I witnessed in Brampton with Midnight, Chessie tears off a chunk and feeds him! This chunk was sizable and I am sure that is owing to the superior begging skills of Hurricane. He really is charming and takes after his dad, Windwhistler.
After eating, Hurricane retired back to his end of the sign and Chessie continued to pick away. She really has developed into quite a beauty now that her sub-adult molt is complete. Very little signs of her young age are visible and she looks sharp!! After picking for another 5 minutes, Chessie takes the prey remains and attempts to tuck it in right against the wall at the top of the sign. Hurricane had an absolute fit and a food fight broke out. Hurricane ran over and grabbed the food from her and the pair were engaged in a pulling match. Hurricane won and ate his prize while Chessie cleaned herself up. After a few minutes, Chessie took off alarm calling at a too-close-for-comfort Red Tailed and put on quite an aerial display of prowess. Hurricane looked up once from his meal, figured “yeah, she’s got this” and back to eating he went.
It was nice to see the pair together after so many visits to no avail. While it is the peregrine off season, our non-migratory pairs are often still seen in the territory and using the nest ledge even though it is with less frequency. A great treat and an awesome way to start winter!!
Posted on December 23, 2012 9:11 am
