July 22, 2012 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Mark Nash Reports:
July 22nd - 2012
By 6:30am this morning, little Jr. was clearly showing that his level of confidence had more than doubled since his return back to the nest level. Both Statler, Caster and Jr., were observed in the air all at the same time playing “catch-me-if-can” with Jr. Statler flew around with a small food package in her talons, with Jr., in hot pursuit. While the event only lasted less than a few minutes, it was a first very important lesson. One of the many that will now be able to take place now that Jr., has learned how to get back to the nest ledge level on his own. After a short game of catch-me-if-you-can, Statler eventually flew back to the upper roof area, landed and fed Jr. on the roof.
One of the criteria in which we follow with regards to the duration of a fledge watch, is the fledglings ability to hold their altitude and stay off the ground - (no longer needing to be rescued). The second important criteria, is the fledgling(s) ability to actually return back to the nest ledge level - (regardless of the its height), on their own steam. 50% of the fledglings flight challenges are physical - (building muscle mass, coordination, excessive baby fat & weight), and the other 50% of their problem is their lack of confidence.
Given that both of these things can take some time for the young fledglings to learn, little Jr., seems to have demonstrated proficiency with both. As such, the organized fledge watch will close at the end of the day today as a dawn to dusk monitoring will no longer be necessary. Its up to Statler and Caster and Jr., now!
That being said, Jr., is still going to have to be spot checked periodically throughout the next week as he can still get into trouble.
For the next 6 to 10 weeks, little Jr., will still be solely dependant on his parents for food and protection while they are teaching him all of the necessary life skills that he will need to survive as a peregrine that will be on his own. Come late Sept./Oct., he will succumb to the ergh to migrate and leave the home territory and his parents. He will be on his own for the next two to three years until he matures and starts looking for a mate and territory of his own to settle down in and begins raising his own family.
The next entry should have the results of the Sun Life’s “name the chick” contest, and we should be able to announce the fledglings name!
Also, we look forward to any and all ongoing updates on his progress in the next weeks to follow as the “real show” is just about to begin. SOBPITAFB 
Stay tuned for more updates, lots of photos, and the announcement of his name!
Posted on July 25, 2012 12:38 pm
July 25, 2012 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:
That’s the best word to describe this family over the past few weeks. I did hear the kids yelling 2 or 3 times last week in the early morning but no sightings. I saw O’Connor a total of 2 times, once perched on the web cam and the other time sitting by the nest box. Jack was seen on the ADP sign one day as well.
Otherwise they haven’t been visible. This morning I did a turn around the block and no luck seeing or hearing anyone. I do know they’ve been training and hunting south of out territory and I’m assuming all is going well..as they say, no news in this case is good news!
Posted on July 25, 2012 7:55 am
July 24, 2012 - Stoney Creek
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Bill and I spent an hour or so at the Stoney Creek site this morning. After about an hour of just hanging around and seeing nothing, we finally decided to pack up. It would be the very first time in all our visits that we have not found the adults around. We thought we better go down the road where we could get a site line into the drum. Lo and behold there sat Dad (we think), sitting right on the receiver arm in the back of the drum. The other adult was not visible.
Posted on July 24, 2012 3:37 pm
July 22, 2012 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station
Bruce Massey Reports:
The last stop on my east end sweep of nest site checks on Sunday brought me down to the Hearn Generating Station for a check on Peter and his three young ones. As you may recall, this site is now a single parent family with the loss of the unbanded resident adult female to an injury. We have been watching Peter closely and he has been a super dad. He has kept up with the feeding schedule and has successfully brought all three of his young, Tiny, Dolly and Dark One, to fledge stage. He is an awesome male and no wonder given that he is the son of Surge who was hatched at the Etobicoke Sun Life centre and has been a successful father himself for many years now!!
As I approached the site, I found one peregrine on the plant directly east of Hearn eating and Peter on top of the roof of the nest building. I scanned the gridwork and rooftop for other peregrines and when I panned back to the plant to the east, in the scope with the light just right I was able to positively identify the peregrine on that roof as an adult female. It would seem that with his territory void of a resident female, that Peter has been able to attract a new girl to his site. I was unable to determine if she is banded as she took off fairly quickly and disappeared behind the eastern power plant. Shortly afterwards, a juvenile female came in from the east and flew over towards Hearn but instead landed on the eastern plant as well. As I left the site, I could confirm the presence of two adult peregrines and one juvenile female. I will be back to visit the site again to check on the status of the adults and try to confirm the new female’s identity.
Posted on July 24, 2012 9:24 am
July 22, 2012 - Toronto - Don Mills
Bruce Massey Reports:
After visiting with Ben and Len at the Don Valley ICICI nest site, I popped in to 220 Duncan Mill Road to check up on Quest, Kendal and their three young ones. When I arrived, I didn’t have any birds in my immediate sights so I started a walk around of the buildings. My arrival was certainly right at “breakfast hunt” time and so I was anticipating an airshow but it was rather quiet. A rare moment for this site as the juveniles have been all over the nest building and neighboring area. As I came around the west side of the nest building, I found one of the juveniles relaxing and digesting breakfast. I could see by her red tape that this was Amora and she was quite happily preening the day away back at home base. The flight training for these three has certainly intensified and moved further afield as their aerial skills have become quite good. Even so, as Amora might say today, there is still no place like home and the juveniles will continue to use the building as their base of operations!
Posted on July 24, 2012 9:10 am
July 22, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Bruce Massey Reports:
I stopped in Sunday morning at the new Don Mills nest site to check up on the progress of Ben and Len. One adult was perched on the west side of the Forester building, another adult was on the southwest corner of the nest building and not one juvenile was in sight. I wandered up to Eglinton to check the TSM building and other rooftops in the area but still no sign of Ben and Len. I made my way back down to the nest building and could hear juveniles food begging. Lo and behold, up pops both Ben and Len on the DeBeers building on the ledge on top of the windows. This ledge is the exact same height and layout as the nest ledge and is the spot where both boys decided to lay down for a nap. They didn’t move from their spot but rather stayed put and begged the parents to come to them! As you can imagine, at this stage with both flying very well, the parents were unamused.
Posted on July 24, 2012 9:02 am
July 22, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Today was a site check day rather than a full time watch at William Osler given the heat and the ability that the juveniles are now showing. Yesterday I was treated to a great show of skill by both Tobi and Ossie and felt very confident, after I watched the two leave the footprint of the building, that they are safe at this point.
Winston was by the site in the early evening and was able to witness some incredible flights between the two youngsters and managed to capture some amazing pictures. Here are his observations;
Today I visited EGH between 3-4:30pm and was delighted to see the two juveniles having a blast. It looks like they’ve taken their game of tag to the air and they really put on a show. For birds that have been flying for less than a week they seem to be quick learners. The two have no trouble gaining altitude or landing. Still not as sure footed as their parents but I am especially surprised at the control of their landings. Aside from Tobi grabbing the side of the hospital just above the H sign, she still stuck the landing by the way, no real evidence that these guys are as new to this as they are. I stayed until 4:30 when the two parents had left for over 15 minutes and both chicks were fast asleep. Less than 15 minutes after that, the skies opened up. I assume the rain was enough to wake up Ossie who was sleeping on the power lines and force him to find cover but I was gone by then.
Thanks Winston for the great pictures and observations.
I arrived just after Winston left and we literally just missed one another. I found Tobi on the nest ledge and Ossie on the retaining wall of the roof on the east side. They stayed very relaxed and quiet for the most part until Chessie made an appearance in a tower to the south. That got the two juveniles to their feet and screaming like the wind. Chessie came in to the hospital area without food and started a chase in the air with her kids that was nothing short of spectacular. The three would together go whipping around the hospital and then out over the valley to the west, talon touching, diving and flipping. They came back a few minutes later and were all three soaring over the nest building only to go back into the dive and roll routine. They must have stayed in the air a full 5 or more minutes in this display of aerial finesse before the two youngsters finally settled down .
This watch has been a treat to be a part of and there are so many people to thank for its success. A huge thank you to the staff at the William Osler Hospital for being an incredible host building to this family, the folks at Paladin Security for all their assistance and all of the people who visited with us daily to ask about their peregrine family. I would also like to personally thank the OMNR Stewardship Rangers for braving the heat and coming out with us and a very special thank you to Bruce Massey, Marion Nash and Kathy Smith who’s great friendship and support made this success possible!! Way to go Chessie and Hurricane!!
I will be stopping in and doing site checks throughout the next few weeks so watch for more stories and photos on the progress in training of Tobi and Ossie.
Posted on July 23, 2012 11:22 am
July 23, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
Thanks to Samantha for this exciting news.
Took a few minutes before heading up to the office this.morning at the ICICI building and got to witness mama falcon dangling her kill in mid air while Ben (blue band?) swooped down under her and successfully grabbed it while she dropped it. Our babies are growing up! What an amazing sight!
Posted on July 23, 2012 11:03 am
July 21, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I arrived on site just before 6pm to relieve Bruce of his last full time Fledge Watch shift of the season. As you can see by his posting, he had lots of action today with both juveniles flying really well. I found Ossie napping on the northern “H” sign and Tobi eating on the nest ledge. I couldn’t readily see the adults but I could hear Chessie calling softly in the tower. As Bruce pulled away from the site, I settled in for some great flights that he had been telling me about and warned me that I would find impressive. No one moved. Tobi was flat out on the nest ledge snoring, Ossie was sitting on the north side preening and the adults were in the tower chatting about next year.
Bruce and I both agree that with what we have been seeing here from Tobi and Ossie, that the full time Fledge Watch will be scaled back as of tomorrow. I will be in and on site tomorrow for a less intense version of the Fledge Watch and I will be back to check up on the family throughout the week as I will be starting my west end nest site rounds on Monday.
Posted on July 23, 2012 9:54 am
July 21, 2012 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Bruce Massey Reports:
Today it was my turn to open the William Osler Fledge Watch and hold the fort until the afternoon. I arrived at 6:30am and found Tobi on the south “H” sign and could hear, but not see, Ossie in the tower. Tobi left the sign and made for the north facing side of the nest ledge, missed the landing and ended up in the tower. After 10 minutes, Ossie flew to the retaining wall of the roof and landed neatly on the southwest corner. By 7am, Hurricane was coming in with food and had Chessie on his tail. This time it was Ossie who was the recipient of the morning feed while Hurricane flew up to the north corner of the nest building and Chessie flew up to the tower. At this point, Tobi made several flights around the hospital and looked like she wanted to go to the south “H” sign but finally settled down in the tower.
Once Ossie had finished eating, the two juveniles were actively flying back and forth between the tower and the nest building and landing very well. Ossie flew out to the northeast and out over the residential area taking longer flights than he has up until now. I went into the hospital for a brief moment and when I came out I checked the tower… …no one there. I could distinctly hear distant vocalizations and so I scanned north and found a bird in a tower to the north about 1/3 of the way up to Finch Ave. I walked up to the tower and found, much to my surprise, found both juveniles preening madly in the distant tower. I can confirm now that both of the young have explored beyond the footprint of the nest building. It wasn’t long before Hurricane flew up and joined the juveniles to the north and they all enjoyed a family moment together. At around 8:45am, Chessie flew over to the nest building with food and Ossie came off of his perch to take part in the feeding. Now fueled on pigeon power, Ossie was making short, quick flights from the tower to the roof and back to the northern tower, finally settling on the tower across from the nest ledge. Tobi finally decided to leave the tower to the north and head back to the nest building and on the way was stooped by her older brother!! This started a game of tag that lasted a good five minutes before both juveniles retired to their separate perches; Tobi to the hospital hydro tower and Ossie one tower north.
The next feeding was brought in by Hurricane at 11:15am and this time he brought it in to Tobi in the tower, at first with a touch and go and then straight over for the exchange. She took the food from Dad and flew with it over to the nest ledge. This was a good flight and landing considering that she had a bit of drag and weight and one foot was occupied. At around noon, Chessie was alarm calling and was off in defense of her site. I could see the intruder very high and it was another falcon about the same size as Chessie, another female perhaps. Just after1pm, Ossie and Hurricane did a “flight school” tandem flying demonstration that was rather impressive. Later on in the afternoon, I was treated to a kiting demo by Tobi over top of the hospital in a good, strong sustained wind. She handled the wind very well and landed safely. At first I thought this was Ossie but once she had landed I was able to confirm the red tape over her USFW band. Just after 5pm, Hurricane was in with another package and it looks like Tobi was the recipient this time. She ate her meal on the nest ledge while Ossie, after flying to the tower to beg for food unsuccessfully off of Hurricane, flew to the north “H” sign for a nap.
Posted on July 23, 2012 9:53 am
