Canadian Peregrine Foundation

CLING-ONS!

June 25, 2011 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre

Linda Woods Reports:

Ground Hog Day continues, I swear we have cling-ons. I checked the ages I have for banding day on May 24th, Kate was estimated to be 23 Days of age on that date, which makes her approximately 54 days old today!!! give or take a day or two. What is she waiting for… foreclosure?  Adults were not very active in the area this afternoon,evening. Could it be the film crew activity on the roof area across the street. Maybe, but the activity level from Kate and Cinnamon has not changed much. Still testing their wings, some running of the ledge, not a lot of vocalisingfrom Kate and Cinnamon. Food drops were made,small portions. Cinnamon is not getting much, Kate and Sunshine grabbing most of it.  Sunshine continues to spend much of her time away from the area, it appears south of King St. Perhaps BCE Place, both Rhea Mae and Tiago seem to head off in that area.

Watch Continues.

Still on the ledge

June 25, 2011 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre

Harry Crawford Reports:

When I arrived just before 7:30am, Cinnamon and Kate were on the
nest ledge with Sunshine on the top of the logo, just above them.
Mom was on the north west corner of 130 Adelaide and dad was on the
west KPMG logo.  Cinnamon did a lot of flapping but both birds
remained on the ledge.  They were fed just before 7am [webcam] and
again, just after 8:30am.  Cinnamon did get a good portion of both
feeds.

I left just after 11:30am with Marion, Zoe, Annie and Janine on the
watch.

But I Can’t Read

June 16, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge

Sue McCreadie Reports:

We are in the process of going over the thousands of photos taken in the last couple of week.  This is Lady Nelson just before the attempted rescue on June 16th.  She was sitting dangerously close to the road and just above the sidewalk.

Let The Games Begin

June 24, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge

Sue McCreadie Reports:

Bill and I arrived at the bridge shortly after 6pm.  Rick and Teresa were there and they informed us that the girls had been playing.  Immediately, upon our arrival, the games continued.  They are pretty funny girls to watch, as you can’t see one without the other.  One flies to the bridge the other is right behind her.  One flies to the Skyway, the other follows.  They are definitely best buds until it comes to food.  At one point, both girls landed on the roof of the control tower.  Lady Lamont sat on the railing and Lady Nelson was missing for some time.  All of a sudden she (Lady Nelson) jumped up to the railing where her sister was and she was soaking wet.  She had been taking a bath in the puddles on the roof of the tower.  She continued to sit on the railing for a while to dry out.  She finally gave into the coaxing of Lady Lamont and took to the air.  They were diving on the pigeons on the ground, on the bridge and in the air.  Quite a spectacle to watch.  My heart was in my mouth on several occasions as they darted in and out of the bridge, sometimes at a very low level.  I kept praying that a truck wouldn’t come along and sweep them away.

Mom made a very brief appearance, which caused a lot of screaming.  Dad was nowhere to be found.

Awe Come On Sis, Please Share

June 22, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge

Sue McCreadie Reports:

On Wednesday afternoon, Bill and I arrived at the Bridge just in time to see Mom bring in a pigeon.  As she was flying over to the Skyway Bridge abutment just beyond the parking lot, the girls spotted her and the race was one.  Who could outmaneuver who?  Lady Lamont won the race and grabbed the pigeon from Mom.  Lady Nelson waited while her sister consumed nearly the whole pigeon.  She walked all around the abutment but Lady Lamont was not for sharing.  Finally, after eating her fill, Lady Lamont walked away for a snooze and Lady Nelson got the remains.

!!! One real fledge, one slipped off the ledge, and one still at home!

June 24, 2011 - Scarborough - Yellow Pages

Mark Nash Reports:

June 23 & June 24 - 2011
Its been a busy couple of days and there has not been enough time in the day (or night) to do many postings given all of the time we’re spending in th streets doing some very long days and not getting much computer time.
Friday June 24 was the busy day at Scarborough Yellow Pages nest site when Kathy reported from Scarborough Yellow pages that Striker - 97 over Y first took his first flight ending up on an upper ledge around to the south east side of the Yellow Pages building. There his spent most of the day running back and forth across the ledge much to the delight of the occupants in the office suite.
Paul and Michelle later attended the office suites on the 11th floor to get a better look at him where they were able to confirm that despite his rather loud and hard impact with the glass prior to him falling down the face of the building where finally ended up on the ledge, that he was alright. Michelle and other office occupants took some great photos.

Marion and I arrived just shortly after 4pm to relieve Kathy and Michelle and witnessed several small feedings by Linn and Reuben. At approx. 7pm, with gusty and constant winds prevailing most of the day, little Jet - 98 over Y was actually blown off the nest ledge rim and was swept into the air. With little wing flapping going on at all, Marion watched in horror as he fell almost straight down the side of the building and was finally caught by the first ledge some 6 stories down. Thank goodness he at least opened his wings during his decent as they softened his fall.
Moments later, he did appear from the back of the ledge and spent the balance of the evening running back and forth on the ledge screaming to his parents for food as they soared around overhead.

Striker later took his second short flight gaining a little altitude as he round the building to the north west side and landed on yet another ledge at the same level as his brother Jet, but sadly not a connecting ledge. By dark, the two fledglings bedded down for the evening.

Rihannon - 53 over X stayed in the nest ledge all day with very little flapping through out the day, and received several feedings from her parents.

We closed the watch down at 9:45pm looking forward to returning in the morning to continue the watch.
Stay tuned…..

!!! Niagara Falls birds have been found, and there has been a hatch!

June 23, 2011 - Niagara Falls

Mark Nash Reports:

A big thank you to Jacquie Walters for her report and John Shiposki for his great photos from New York State for getting this great news and fantastic photos to us!
Jacquie writes:

Hi Mark,
I am one of Connie Adams’ seasonal technicians out of the New York DEC office in Buffalo. I have been watching the Niagara Falls nest site from Terrapin Point all spring and am happy to report that you have peregrine hatchlings! This was a very late nest. I am pretty sure the female is still “Diamond” from Ohio. She is a banded sub-adult anyway, still has quite a bit of brown on her. She laid her first egg back in April. There was a fight with an interloping pair that I watched for three hours on 4/12. After that, on 4/14, I saw one egg in one of the windows she had been frequenting. This egg never received much attention from her. It sat in the scrape un-incubated until the week of 5/22 when one of our volunteers reported seeing two eggs in the nest. When I went there on 6/6 I counted three eggs, and on 6/10 I counted 4. One of these was the first egg that by now was old and white-colored. There must have been four there previously, but I just couldn’t see them all, because when I went there on Monday 6/20 there was a hatchling in the nest along with 2 eggs! It really was one of the best feelings seeing that little white ball of fluff in there. I didn’t see that old, white first egg, but maybe it was behind the others or underneath her. She was pretty tight on the nest the whole time I was there and I only got good looks under her when she got up to change positions.
The male is not banded, though John Shiposki, who has been photographing the NF PEFAs for many years, is certain that it is the same male since 2003. We have no way to be sure, obviously, but John recognizes him based on some feather patterning and behaviour. He does seem to be an experienced male PEFA. He kept trying to get the female into the old nest hole under that window during early spring, but she seemed to prefer the window “box” instead.
I emailed Anne Yagi last week, so she probably already told you about this nest, but I just wanted to send you an email to let you know what has been going on there. I will be heading up there tomorrow morning (the best time to get a clear view into the scrape) to see if all the eggs have hatched. This site has been my favourite to watch. They are so observable and it has been fun finding all their favourite perches and food caches. I have even seen the male taking baths in the old spillway on the bottom of the OPG builing! He wades into the water up to his abdomen and dunks his whole head in, shaking the water down his body. It is a funny thing to watch a Peregrine taking a bath like a robin or a crow.
Let me know if you need any other info. I attached pictures of the nest location and the hatchling. Hope to see you on banding day!
- Jacquie Walters

!!! Some recent past history of Kenya

June 22, 2011 - Toronto - King Street

CPF Postmaster Reports:

Yesterday we had an unusual experience. We’ve seen quite a number of falcons from our windows since moving here in 1983. On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, about 6:45 a.m. I saw a falcon on the roof of the office building (26 Wellington St. East) adjoining ours. It became apparent that this is a new bird this spring – he still has soft white feathers of the newborn – and that he is learning to fly. Every once in a while he peers down to the ground, then flaps huge wings as he hops along the edge, back and forth. Occasionally he stops this routine and just rests a while. You know, it is quite a drop to the ground if he can’t stay afloat in the air.
We went out about 11 a.m. to the blood lab for my blood test and then had lunch in the cafe in our building. We returned to our apartment about 1:10 p.m. to find the bird still on the roof, with the same old routine. He looked to be scared to death.
We phoned Polly to get information about falcon watches. She called the Peregrine Foundation. The bird has a red band on his right leg (every once in a while he’d seem to try to tug it off). He remained on the roof until about 8:30 p.m. when he took off with a great flap of wings. He circled around in great swoops and landed on the roof of the St. Lawrence Theatre. He stays there for about half an hour and then disappears in the twilight. At one point in the evening one of his parents circles high above and then swoops down almost hitting his head – then disappears. A member of the Foundation says the parent is attempting to give the youngster guidance on how to return to the nest, a few blocks away. The bird had no food or water for about 14 hours, but finally he finds the courage to fly. We felt like cheering!
This morning we learn from the Foundation that he has been rescued (netted, actually) in the alley behind the Spaghetti Factory restaurant and was returned to his nest about 10:30 last night. Perhaps in the coming months and years he’ll come around to see us again. His red band will be a clue that he’s the chap who gave us many anxious moments one day. Incidentally, he has a name. It’s Kenya.

Two have fledged!!

June 24, 2011 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton

CPF Postmaster Reports:

Canada Square update June 23rd - 2011 - Day watch observations:
Bruce had a busy early morning ! He arrived just before 7:00 a.m. to find both fledglings on the Canada Square building. Sometime early this morning the first juvenile to fly must have found his way back up to the level below the *nest ledge*. A little later Luke flew from the ledge, on Canada Square, to the north Minto tower and landed on a balcony behind the glass barrier on the 32nd floor. Just when Bruce thought that young fledgling peregrine was trapped, he finally managed to jump onto the railing and eventually ended up one floor down, once again trapped behind the glass. His mom sat guard over him for ages and flew just before the second storm came in.
Bruce and I walked over to the Minto building to try and gain access to effect a rescue but were unable to at that point. After a couple more attempts, in between rain showers, I went home briefly and when I returned Bruce had gone to rescue Luke.
Canada Square kindly allowed us to put Luke in a secure, quiet and dark spot until he could be released back onto a ledge at the nest building.
The watch continued, between showers, over Buzz who was quite happy with his perch on Canada Square. We also kept an eye on Chester who is left on the nest ledge.
When the adult peregrines were not perched due to rain they flew a number of sorties, keeping tabs on the young and hunting. Buzz had been fed on the ledge he was on and was not inclined to move too much – so we thought!
He had been exercising his wings later in the afternoon and was right at the edge but always settled back and relaxed, except for the last time. He flew off the north face of Canada Square around to the west side and was doing well over the roof at which point the female had reached him and encouraged him to land on the roof, which he did. He had several flights, one of which was quite lengthy and actually took him as far south as the south Minto building where he flew gently into a window, fluttered down a couple of floors, recovered and with help and encouragement from mom actually flew back onto the south eastern end of the Canada Square building.

After losing a fair bit of height he made it all up in one flight, without a rest!!! Extra pairs of eyes, from a couple who are extremely interested in our birds, helped us keep tabs on who was where!! Thanks folks!
He eventually ended up on the Rio-Can building for the night. Mom was just below him on one of the window uprights.
Tracy was instrumental in releasing Luke back to the nest building but not without a few surprises. She took him to the lower balcony, one floor below the nest ledge on the Canada Square building, and had just stepped out when this vision came at her out of the dark! Mom had seen the activity on the balcony, probably remembered banding time, and just flew at Tracy who managed to get inside in the nick of time. On the second attempt Luke was released successfully without further incident. I will leave Tracy to fill in the gaps J
So final count was; Luke on the balcony waiting for morning light and Chester on the nest ledge both on Canada Square, Buzz on the top level and mom one below him on Rio-Can. I cannot remember where Tracy said the male was. All safe and accounted for and no-one injured after all their adventures!!
Cheers
Lyn

!!! Kenya still not seen, misidentification

June 24, 2011 - Toronto - King Street

Linda Woods Reports:

Kenya is still at large and has not been seen. Today, I saw a juvenile on a 10th floor roof area next to the nest building. This area being low in comparison to the nest building next door. It was there all day. It took flight at dinner time and flew east between buildings, low, but made it up to the corner of # 1 Toronto St. I made my way up to a higher elevation to ID this juvenile and it turns out to be Sukura, not our missing male, Kenya.

We are all keeping a look out for the little guy.