June 23, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Frank Butson Reports:
Diana has been doing the early shift of the fledge watch all season,which is very greatfully appreciated! Today Diana reports to me:
As I left today Mom appeared between the 3 youngsters and proceeded to prepare food and then very carefully and deliberately fed each of them in turn by beak. Then she left and returned almost immediately with a pigeon in talons which she left in the centre of the roof and then left again so I got the impression that today’s lesson is “Preparing your own food”. Jack watched the comings and goings and approved, then he left.
On arrival I had all 3 young on the roof of the nest building near the ADP sign. Many great flights were seen by all young. All 3 have been able to get into the various ledges with some pinpoint landings on the top of small perches. Talon touching,bumping each other and chasing Mom and Dad were all observed today. Jack was present quite abit in the time I was there,taking an active role in teaching the boys to fly,which is great to witness.
Posted on June 23, 2010 4:49 pm
June 23, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:
Jerry Peltier, reports.
Hello, this set I just finished. Got these shots Friday during the lunch hour with in a few minutes. Windsor starting off and joining his siblings for some play, and some really cool maneuvers. Sending in the sequence as the show starts and finishing with Windsor. The time I put in at the bridge is well worth it when we’re rewarded with photos like this, frozen in time forever to enjoy.
Also got some cool shots today.
From the beginning , with Windsor taking off, to the end with him coming in & landing, perfect ending for the show. Couldn’t have wrote that script any better. LOL!! Hope you enjoy the shots, more coming later.
THE HIGH LIGHT!!!!
The 3 youngsters join together and fill the frame while I’m snapping shots , unbelievable to have this happen right in front of me, and capturing the moment, priceless.
Thank You Jerry and all the Windsor Team!!!!!!
I am honoured to work with such a kind, giving, supportive group of volunteers. Without their sacrifice none of this would be possible.
Dennis Patrick.
I hope all the pictures come through>
Posted on June 23, 2010 4:28 pm
June 22, 2010 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
Having had to be away and off site most of the day on Tuesday, I can’t offer much as to the day’s activities of the fledglings as we will have to wait for Tracy’s report of her time in on the MEC watch.
Marion and I arrived back to the site later in the evening to relieve Tracy, so I can only offer my limited observations of the status of the birds at the close of the watch. Upon our arrival around 8:30 pm, all four juveniles were in view, with three juveniles on the nest ledge around the nest box, and one juvenile on the upper roof area of the nest building.
Losing light quickly, (combined with the distances from the ground to the nest ledge), it was difficult to identify the individual youngsters even with the scope, but clearly one of the three on the nest ledge was Xuan, (being much larger than her two brothers).
Around 8:50pm, the little juvenile that was on the upper nest building roof area took a very long flight out to the north and then to the south trying to land on MEC #3, but after a failed landing attempt, he headed north east with yet another very long flight and eventually swung around heading south and finally landing on the top of the condo building far to the north east of the MEC buildings.
No problem holding his altitude, as his landing spot was every bit as high as the MEC roof top elevation. There he rested for about 15 minutes and took flight again, flying south west as he swung around and finally landed on the east site of MEC #1 - (the nest building). While a “hard landing”, he did in fact land on the nest level ledges, and slowly worked his way around the east ledges to the south ledges and finally ended up back with all of his siblings at the nest box!
A heart warming greeting then took place with much beak rubbing and beak touching between three of the siblings with the arrival of their long lost brother. It was a very touching few minutes as we watched the three rub beaks together and eventually snuggled together and lay down side by side making sure that they were all touching / making contact with each other. The forth juvenile watched the entire event and then walked over to the three and layed down beside them.
As darkness fell, we left all four of the juveniles snuggled together on the nest box landing platform.
It appears that all four juveniles have been successful in sustaining their altitude and able to return to the nest ledge and the fledge watch for us is almost over. We will be on site for the next few days to ensure that they are in fact holding their altitude and staying off the ground. At this point, its up to the parents to carry on with their flight training of the kids.
Posted on June 23, 2010 11:50 am
June 23, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:
Jack has graced the family with his presence this morning! He’s standing guard while mom feeds the boys on top of the building. Mercedes or ‘the baby’ as I call him never stops crying except to take a bite of food - he seems to be a bottomless pitt as there never seems to be enough food for him!
Today will be a tough day for the young juvies and for watchers as severe thunderstorms, high winds, hail and possible tornadoes will be moving through the area later this afternoon. Let’s hope the boys stay close to home and either down on the rooftop or on the ledges so they don’t get blown into any buildings. I just wish it wasn’t happening so soon as they’ve only been in the air a few days now but I suppose as a bird it’s something you have to get used to, as a watcher I will never get used to it!
Posted on June 23, 2010 8:05 am
June 22, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Frank Butson Reports:
I arrived and got the updates from Diana and then later Kathy. While present between rains,I saw 3 more food transfers. They were talon to talon transfers. Mom flys along with a small food package and the juvenile flys with her. The juvenile turns talons up and takes the food offered by its Mom. This is a very advanced manuever. At around 12:05pm,likely Blackberry as he seems to be the most capable flyer,stooped/dove at pigeons deliberatly. He did this with good speed and looked like he knew what he was doing! Heavy rains came and I left for the day. Kathy will check periodically today and possibly a little in the evening. All 3 boys are doing good landings,some showing great skill. The hours of the watch have peaked,but alot of monitoring will still be done for the next few days.
Posted on June 22, 2010 3:30 pm
June 22, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
CPF Postmaster Reports:
While the “kids” maybe away from the house (or should I say the nest ledge) throughout the day, it may only for a short time depending on the nest site. Now that the juveniles are flighted, they are investigating their new world and they will be honing their new flight skills. While they will be difficult to see them for the most parts throughout the day, they are still very dependant on their parents for food and protection for many weeks to follow.
Remember that the resident adults still have the hardest part of their job still to come. Protection, feeding and training the “teenagers” to hunt and fend for themselves.
For the next 30 to 90 days - (depending on the advancement of each individual fledgling), the juveniles may still be utilizing the nest ledge and still sleeping there at nights, as this is still the only home that they have ever known. Also, remember that this still remains the occupied territory of the resident adults, and these territories (and the nest ledge itself) are still very much under the resident adults control. It is their territory and it will still be protected from all intruders!
Unlike the “non-urban” nesting falcons, most of the urban nesting adult pairs remain on territory all year long and continue to defend the nest ledge and territory throughout the entire year, even during non nesting times.
A far as the juveniles are concerned, their adult parents still have to teach them all of the life skills that the they will have to learn to survive to adulthood, (or should I say, just to survive another day)!!
By mid September, thousands of years of hard wired instincts will have the young juveniles head south on a migration and with upwards of an 80% mortality and many perils and risks ahead of them, the youngsters will need all of the help that they can just to survive their first year. The adult parents have their job cut out for them trying to teach the juveniles how, what and where to hunt food, and how to recognize and escape from all of the “bad guys” out there.
Stay tuned, and keep your eyes to the skies over the next few weeks in and around the nest sites as the best viewing is yet to come!
Posted on June 22, 2010 1:08 pm
June 21, 2010 - Toronto - Sheraton Centre
Jan Chudy Reports:
Scanning the usual spots at 11:40, I found a juvie on the middle bar of the “S”. As I watched him, he started walking up the slope of the letter; he then slid back down. He obviously thought this was great fun because he did it another 3 or 4 times! He stayed on the letter until 1 p.m. at which time he took off and went up to the south side of the roof of the hotel. Checking at 1:55 p.m. he had gone and I was unable to find him.
Posted on June 22, 2010 11:50 am
June 22, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:
I arrived around 7:30 am and met with Diana before coming into work. She had only seen one of the boys on top of the nest box building. A few minutes later mom came flying in with a small food package in her talons, suddenly there were 4 falcons in the air - the three boys were chasing mom excitedly for a reward! We saw the food package drop and thought oh no…when one of the boys wizzed right under her and caught the food in his talons!!! We couldn’t tell who as there was alot of flying and screaming and all four went in different directions.
Mom went to the nest ledge, one went to the next tower and landed safely, one on top of the ADP sign and one on the ledge next over to the nest ledge! All three landed well, not fumbling around - just right down where they should be! Two are crying for food and one is having a nice little breakfast as of 7:55 am :)
Posted on June 22, 2010 8:00 am
- Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Frank Butson Reports:
After a hectic day with 2 rescues,today was a great day. On arrival all 3 boys were visible on the roof of the nest building. During the day both DotCa and Blackberry had many great flights. They were going from the first tower of the Sunlife Centre to the nest tower and even sticking their landings. I saw one of them land ontop of a small pipe on the first tower,quite a controlled landing! Another flight saw one of them sit down right beside his brother,also a very nicely executed landing. Blackberry is the only one who has so far returned to the nestledge,which we use as a benchmark. Mercedes was catching his breath today,after yesterdays adventure. He made a few short flights from point to point on the nest building. Later about 730pm he joined his brothers flying onto the 1st Tower. DotCa and Blackberry flew with their mother a few times. Angel flew with food in her talons to bait the boys into flight. They were fed several times today..rewards for their good flying! I left all 3 boys sitting together on the first tower of the Sunlife Centre. Lets hope for more great flying tomorrow.
Posted on June 21, 2010 11:37 pm
June 21, 2010 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
I hooked up with Bruce this afternoon at MEC and got the updates. Two of the boys (Joe and Craig on the nest ledges running a flapping, sleeping and screaming as per the norm), and of course Wade cooling off in the air conditioning. Xuan (Soon) still on the upper nest roof ledges screaming most of the day for mom to come and feed her, but know avail. A very quiet afternoon indeed (with the exception of Soon screaming all afternoon), up until 6:20 pm when mom finally flew into the nest box and spoon fed each of the two boys beak to beak in a delightfully entertaining 20 minutes as I watched her feed each juvenile. Unlike most of the feedings these days when mom simply flies in and has the food aggressively snatched from her by one fo the juveniles, this was a really tender family moment.
Finally at around 8:40 pm, Xuan finally made the leap into space and flew south of the nest building roof where she had been all night and all day today, hooked around flapping for all she was worth and made a very bad landing,, BUT she did land on the nest box landing platform never the less. She screamed the entire way out and around as she collided with the upper lip of the nest box. She hit the landing platform so hard, I could here the “thunk” from my street level position, and almost bowled over one of her brothers right off the nest box landing platform.
By dark, all three of the juveniles had retired back into the nest box and disappeared from my view.
Back to examine little Wade just before releasing him. Feisty and very alert with lots of attitude, we proceeded to the upper nest building roof top to release Wade. He was released without innocent and I was finally able to depart for home at around 10PM.
We’re almost there!!! A couple of more days to go…
Stay tuned…….
Posted on June 21, 2010 9:32 pm
