Canadian Peregrine Foundation -- Etobicoke Archives: July

Tuesday September 26, 2000
Marcel Gahbauer reports: To this point at least, it appears that Angel and Marco are hanging around (more or less). They certainly aren't as faithful to the site as Toby and Alberta were, especially Toby, who in past years often stood on the nest box day in and day out through much of the fall and winter. This year's adults are reported occasionally, but aren't making regular appearances on camera of late. I spotted Angel on the north side of the nest building a week ago yesterday, and Norma Pennells saw both of them flying around last Friday. Time will tell whether they remain territorial or not.

Saturday September 25, 2000
David Pfeffer reports: Yesterday, around 11:15 a.m. a peregrine falcon flew west across the Grenadier restaurant parking lot. I, as well as those who were watching from Hawk Hill saw it. No one could tell if it was an adult or an immature. However, it was coming from the direction of the lower duck pond.

Today, (Sept. 25) at 2:45 p.m. I saw an immature peregrine falcon on Bloor St. It swooped over a flock of pigeons that hang out by the Runnymede Library. It then landed on an antenna that is attached to the building next to the No Frills parking lot. I crossed the street and was able to have a good look at it from right below it. It is an immature with a chocolate brown back, very pronounced vertical stripes along its breast and belly, and a mildly tapering tail ending in a squared tip with a faint black band across the tip. The sideburns were there but not too distinct. However, the falcon's head was facing me so I couldn't get a side profile. Shortly after, some crows came by and one of them started to swoop over it while the others landed on a nearby sign. The falcon then flew off with the crow after it. Although, after a couple more swoops the crow gave up the chase and joined its companions.

Saturday September 23, 2000
David Pfeffer reports: This afternoon I spotted an immature peregrine falcon hunting at the Lower Duck Pond at High Park. It was perched on a white pine that is northeast of the pond. When some mallards flew in, the falcon went into a stoop and came close but the other ducks alarmed the ones flying in and they pulled some evasive maneuvers and got away. The falcon then went back to perch on the pine. I tried to get closer to the pine but when I got to it the falcon was spotted by some crows and blue jays and a chase ensued. However, the falcon quickly turned things around and ended up chasing the crows to some willows by Centre Rd. This chasing lasted for about five minutes. When I got there I was able to get a good look before the falcon headed back to the pond. Its back was chocolate brown, it had beautiful vertical stripes on its breast and belly. The tail feathers tapered slightly at the tip and had thin black stripes. I couldn't see any leg bands but the falcon didn't stay still long enough. It was looking for a way to quickly rid itself of the crows. Unfortunately the commotion alerted other crows. When the falcon headed back to the pond it flew right into the huge mob that patrols the park. The only way to describe what happened is, "all hell broke loose". There were about thirty crows and they forced the falcon into a tree. When I finally reached the area where this happened, I was surprised to see the falcon take off. The crows went crazy but then stopped. That falcon shot out like a bullet, leaving the crows no chance to give chase. After that it disappeared. I will keep an eye on the pond to see if it comes back. This all happened between 12:30-1:00p.m. I don't think I have ever done so much running back and forth in my life!

Tuesday September 19, 2000
Shireen Kitto-Powell reports: One male and one female seen at Old Mill Towers at 6.40 pm. They rested on top of the building . One was probably immature as it had difficulty landing.

Thursday September 14, 2000
Norma Pennells reports: I went over to the nest site this morning and lo and behold, there was Marco sitting there grooming himself; then Angel flew in and started vocalizing at him. He vocalized right back at her, then he flew away. Angel was still there when I left around noon. This is the
first time I have seen them in a long time. It was great to see them.

Wednesday August 23, 2000
Marcel Gahbauer reports: I visited the Etobicoke site this afternoon for the first time in a few weeks. Marco was on the nest box when I arrived, but departed shortly thereafter. I didn't see Angel at all, and there was no sign of any of this year's fledglings either - although that's hardly surprising, since they were already very aloof and independent a month ago.

Magellan is wearing a satellite transmitter, which should allow us to keep track of his movements over the next 8 to 12 months. The readings we have been receiving from him (see Magellan's Project Track-'em home page) indicate he has been traveling around a lot already, and if his brothers Apollo and Monty are anything like him, it's no wonder they aren't being seen around Islington and Bloor anymore.

Thursday July 20, 2000
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Things have settled into a routine in Etobicoke - Marco and Angel continue to return to the nest ledge fairly regularly, while the three youngsters spend most of their time off to the northwest, making occasional forays back toward the area around the Clarica Centre. Monty and Apollo have been spotted flying to the north, but it's not clear how far they go, since they quickly disappear from sight. Magellan, on the other hand, is a bit easier to follow since he is wearing one of our satellite transmitters. Later this summer we will begin plotting his exact locations on a separate webpage, but for now we will simply summarize his movements here. We are receiving data from him every 4-5 days, and to this point, each reading has been from the area north and west of the nest - most often somewhere near Kipling Avenue, and typically between Burnhamthorpe and Eglinton.

Saturday July 1, 2000
Marcel Gahbauer reports: Arriving at Islington and Bloor around 5:30 am, I expected to see some morning flights from the peregrines, but it was not to be. For nearly three hours, the only member of the family I could find was Angel.

Finally, around 8:30, I discovered Magellan, who was screaming persistently from the north end of 1 Lomond. Maybe he had been there all morning, and just further back from the edge and silent. At any rate, I watched him on the roof for roughly two hours, during which time he rarely stopped vocalizing for more than a minute or two. A couple of times he flew from one edge of the roof to the other, but seemed hesitant about actually taking off.

At 10:33, Magellan flew up to the railing surrounding the balcony, lost his balance, and began to fall down the outside of the building. After dropping a couple of floors, he realized that it was time to get his wings in gear, and he began flying to the west. After making a long steady flight over to beyond Islington, he looped back, and landed on the metal hydro tower in the Lomond parking lot where his brothers had been last night. Magellan remained up there for nearly an hour, hopping from perch to perch on the various beams during this time. Eventually he took off again, navigating his way south between the Clarica Centre towers this time, and out of sight, then suddenly reappeared at the north corner of the roof of the centre tower. Clearly Magellan's flight skills are in good order, as he was able to gain a considerable amount of altitude in such a short time.

While watching Magellan this morning, we were also entertained by the flying lessons Marco provided to one of his brothers. About twenty minutes after Magellan left the hydro pole, Marco came in and buzzed it twice. At first we wondered what he was doing, but after the second attack, Monty or Apollo (couldn't tell which) scooted out from a hidden perch and began flying east along the hydro corridor, with Marco in close pursuit. Repeatedly, Marco dove at the fledgling, forcing him to practice evasive manoeuvres, which included rolling over on his back in mid-air to present his talons. By the time they had reached the Royal York Road area, they turned back, and upon reaching Islington, the chase swung off to the north. It was an impressive sight to see.

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