Canadian Peregrine Foundation - Southern Ontario Nest sites

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SITE HISTORY

FEMALE

MALE

OFFSPRING

Pounce-Kingsley and Victoria were the first peregrines to nest in southern Ontario in over 30 years when they arrived in the spring of 1995.

Since they came to Toronto, Kingsley and Victoria have raised chicks successfully each year. From 1995 through 1998 they nested on an 18th floor ledge at 18 Victoria, just north of King Street and east of Yonge Street. In 1999 they moved slightly to the northwest and raised their family on a 43rd floor ledge on the south side of the Toronto Sheraton Hotel.

The spring of 2000 found Kingsley and Victoria back at the traditional nest site at 18 King Street, and they returned to the same site again in 2001 and 2002.

Sadly, 2002 was to be Victoria and Pounce-Kingsley's final season in Toronto, as both of them died while raising their eighth brood of young (which were subsequently transferred to Richmond Hill for release).

It appears that Windwhistler-Spike and Mandy, formerly of the Midtown Toronto site, are going to take over the Downtown Toronto territory.

Victoria

Hatched 1994
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Pounce-
Kingsley

Hatched 1992
(Akron, Ohio)

1995 nesting season:
Laurel (F), Hardy (F)
(Hardy, aka Laser, permanently injured and in a captive breeding program in Ontario)

1996 nesting season:
Horizon (M), Little Eddie (M), Lori (F), Carla (F)
(Horizon was injured and later died; others have not been heard from)

1997 nesting season:
Cabot (M), Moody (F), Munro (F), Atwood (F)
(Cabot nested in Rochester, New York annually from 1998-2001 and raised a total of 14 offspring with his mate Mariah; Munro fell down a chimney and died in her first few weeks of flight)

1998 nesting season:
Lucy (F), Leona (F), Linda (F), unnamed (F)
(unnamed female died in a collision with a building while learning to fly; Lucy nesting on a bridge at Ironton, Ohio in 2001 and 2002)

1999 nesting season:
Sherry (F), Foe (M), Icon (F), Eric (M)
(no sightings since end of summer 1999)

2000 nesting season:
Adelaide (F), Cyrano (M), King Eddie (M)
(Adelaide monitored through Project Track-'em, Cyrano disappeared shortly after fledging and presumed to have died, King Eddie injured and subsequently died)

2001 nesting season:
Angus (M), Jasmine (F), Trillium (M)
(Trillium monitored through Project Track-'em; Jasmine and Angus not seen since mid-summer 2001)

2002 nesting season:
Viking (F), Spirit (F), Hope (F), Majesty (F), Valour (M)
(All released at Richmond Hill following their rescue from the downtown Toronto nest after the deaths of their parents)

SITE HISTORY

FEMALE

MALE

OFFSPRING

A pair of peregrines, known as Mandy and Windwhistler-Spike, has made their home in the area of Yonge and Bloor in Toronto since mid-summer 1998. Most often they can be seen high on the CIBC or Bay buildings on the northwest and northeast corners of the intersection, or else a bit further west at the Four Seasons Hotel at Avenue Road and Bloor.

Nesting was attempted in 2000 and 2001 on the Four Seasons Hotel, but was unsuccessful. In early 2002 they moved to Mount Sinai Hospital, where nesting was attempted on a ledge on the east side of the building. Unfortunately, they again failed to produce any young.

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Mandy

history unknown
(unbanded)

Spike

Hatched 1998
(Etobicoke nest, raised by Alberta and Toby, and known as Windwhistler at the time)

1999 nesting season:
Mandy and Spike were not observed nesting in 1999 despite some elaborate courtship flights in the spring. Hopefully they will be successful in raising a family in the spring of 2000

2000 nesting season:
A single egg was laid by Mandy on the Four Seasons Hotel, but it cracked and was abandoned; the pair did not attempt to nest again elsewhere.

2001 nesting season:
The behaviour of Mandy and Windwhistler-Spike throughout April suggested they were incubating eggs on the Four Seasons Hotel, but the site was eventually abandoned and no eggs were found; it/they may have cracked as in 2000.

2002 nesting season:
Windwhistler-Spike and Mandy resided at Mount Sinai Hospital for several months and appeared to be incubating eggs for a time, but eventually abandoned the site; no remnants of eggs were found, though it is strongly suspected they did exist for a time.

The intersection of Yonge and Eglinton became the third active peregrine territory in the City of Toronto in late 1999. At that time, Marco was identified as the local male; he has since moved back to Etobicoke. An unidentified female was present with Marco, and may be the same female which was observed again during the winter of 2000/2001. A different male was present in late 2000 and early 2001, with silver bands on both legs indicating that he is likely either Preston or Loft from the 1999 Ottawa foster brood. Sightings became scarce in the spring of 2001 and no nesting attempts were observed, but activity has again been more regular in the winter of 2001-2002, with both a male and a female being seen occasionally. As of early May 2002, nesting was confirmed on the west side of 2180 Yonge Street. The female was identified as Bonnie G, hatched in Rochester NY in 2001; the male remains unidentified. In late May a severe rainstorm flooded the nest ledge and the site failed.

SITE HISTORY

FEMALES

MALES

OFFSPRING

A pair of peregrines arrived in Etobicoke in 1996, stimulating the installation of a nest tray on an 18th floor ledge of the East Tower of the Clarica Centre. From 1997 through 1999, Alberta and Toby nested at this site, at 3250 Bloor Street West. In 2000, the territory was taken over by Angel and Marco (who had been raised at this site two years earlier). They nested there again in 2001 and 2002.

The nest is located on the southeast face of the building (the third tower east of Islington on the north side of Bloor), and is visible from Bloor and Gardenvale.

Live video from the nest is always available at the CPF Falcon Watch Centre in the north lobby of the East Tower, near the Aberfoyle Crescent entrance.

Alberta
Hatched 1995
(Hamilton,
Ontario)

Angel
Hatched 1998
(unbanded; history unknown)

Toby
Hatched 1993
(Williamsport,
Pennsylvania)

Marco
Hatched 1998
(Etobicoke, Ontario)

1997 nesting season:
Kingsway (M), Mutual (M), Tobi (F)
(Kingsway injured his wing but was successfully re-released; no sightings of the others since fall 1997)

1998 nesting season:
Marco Polo (M), Abby (F), Ridge (M), Windwhistler (M)
(Marco now nesting in Etobicoke; Windwhistler resident at Midtown Toronto since 1999; others not seen since end of their first summer)

1999 nesting season:
Explorer (M), Barclay (M), Artemis (F)
(Artemis died in a collision with the nest building during her first week of flight; males dispersed at end of summer)

2000 nesting season:
Magellan (M), Apollo (M), Monty (M)
(Magellan was studied through Project Track-'em until he died in a collision in Scarborough in Feb 2001; Apollo and Monty gained their independence quickly but have not been reported since late summer 2000)

2001 nesting season:
Discovery (M), Olympia (F), Raleigh (M)
(Discovery died June 18 following a collision with the nest building; Olympia and Raleigh not reported since late summer)

2002 nesting season:
Arrow (M), Surge (M), Blazer (M), Etienne (M)
(All fledged successfully and remain in the area as of mid-summer)

For several years, peregrine falcons have been reported at infrequent intervals in Scarborough, most commonly around the Scarborough Town Centre. In late 1999, Rouge (from the Richmond Hill peregrine release) took up residence in that area, and remained through the winter. He attracted a mate briefly in March 2000, but before long both abandoned the territory. Another (or possibly the same) pair was back at times during the winter of 2000/2001, but was also been seen frequently in the Consumers Road business area at the east end of North York. Sightings tapered off at both locations in late spring. In August 2001, Rouge returned to the Scarborough Town Centre area, accompanied by an adult female. Unfortunately Rouge was found dead on a local road in December 2001. In the spring of 2002, there were scattered sightings of a female in the same area, and in May a one-year-old female from Pittsburgh PA was found trapped behind a sign at the nearby Centenary Hospital, but no evidence of nesting was observed this year.

Peregrine falcons have not yet nested successfully in Mississauga, but the frequency of observations over the past few years suggests that may be about to change. Most sightings have been concentrated around three areas:

MISSISSAUGA EXECUTIVE CENTRE:
Since 1998, peregrines have visited the Mississauga Executive Centre each spring. Primarily they have been seen on the four tall office buildings on Robert Speck Parkway, east of Square One; northeast of Hurontario and Burnhamthorpe. Most years, a pair has been present for a short while, but to date nesting has not been attempted. In January 2002, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation installed a nest box on #1 Robert Speck Parkway, with the support of Oxford Properties Group. In early May 2002, it was confirmed that the peregrines were nesting in this box, and in early July their three chicks - the first ever successfully raised in Mississauga - were banded. Their father is Sal, from the 2001 Hamilton nest; their mother has yet to be identified.

LAKEVIEW GENERATING STATION:
In 2000, a pair of peregrines took up residence at the Lakeview Generating Station along the lakeshore, and actually laid two eggs on a high ledge. Unfortunately, the eggs failed to hatch and the adults, although banded, were never close enough to be identified. In the spring of 2001 they returned, and nested on a similar ledge, succeeding in having one chick hatch. However, it disappeared within its first week of life, thought to be the victim of predation. In 2002 nesting took place on a similar ledge, but once again the chicks were lost within their first week, this time likely due to a severe storm.

CLARKSON - ST. LAWRENCE CEMENT:
In April 2001, Nate (originally from Richmond Hill, and one of the stars of Project Track-'em) settled at the St. Lawrence Cement Plant in Clarkson. A female was often seen with him, and they frequented what appeared to be a nest scrape on one of the buildings, though it does not appear that they progressed any further with their initial nesting attempt. The female appears to have remained on site through the winter of 2001-2002, while Nate returned for the winter to Cartagena. In his absence another male took over the site, and over the course of the early spring of 2002 at least four individual peregrines took up temporary residence in the area. Eventually Nate returned to reclaim his territory, but despite a high level of mating activity, no nesting took place.

SITE HISTORY

FEMALE

MALE

OFFSPRING

Horizon and Connor arrived in Ottawa in the spring of 1997. They nested on a 25th floor ledge of the Ottawa Crowne Plaza Hotel (then known as the Citadel Hotel), and have continued to nest on this building every year since.

Like many of the southern Ontario peregrines, Horizon has remained on territory through the winter for the past three years. Traditionally her mate, Connor, enjoyed his winters in warmer climates, returning each February or March. However, in the winter of 2001-2002 he too remained on territory with his mate. Nesting was delayed in 2002, but incubation was at last underway by early May.

Horizon
hatched 1996
(Montreal, Quebec)

Connor
history unknown
(unbanded)

1997 nesting season:
one unnamed female chick
(Died in a collision with a building on her second day of flight)

1998 nesting season:
Pippin (M), Jo-jo (F)
(Jo-jo died in a collision with the same building as the 1997 chick, but Pippin fared well and was seen into the fall of 1998)

1999 nesting season:
Preston (M), Loft (M), Jessie (F)
(These three chicks were fostered replacements for the four eggs which did not hatch. All did well, and were last seen near the end of summer; either Preston or Loft may be in Uptown Toronto)

2000 nesting season:
Freedom (M), Windracer (M), Zephyr (M)
(Windracer died in a collision within days of fledging; Zephyr was found dead several weeks later of unknown causes. Freedom fared better, and gained his independence later in the summer)

2001 nesting season:
Quest (M), Bailey (M)
(Bailey added to nest as foster chick after two eggs failed to hatch; both Quest and Bailey died on their first flights after colliding with buildings)

2002 nesting season:
Summit (M), Grisou (M), Swift (F)
(Grisou and Swift added to the nest as foster chicks, since only one of three eggs hatched)

SITE HISTORY

FEMALES

MALES

OFFSPRING

Mom and Dad arrived in Hamilton in the spring of 1995 around the same time as Pounce-Kingsley and Victoria were setting up their territory in Toronto.

For seven years straight, the Hamilton peregrines have nested on the same ledge of the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel, above Jackson Square and overlooking King Street. The nest site can be easily viewed from the parking lot across King Street.

Toledo replaced Mom in late 1998, and Dad was renamed Percy in 2000. Later the same year Toledo died and soon thereafter Madame X arrived on the scene. She nested with Percy in 2001 and was back again in 2002. Initially it was thought that Percy too returned in 2002 for an eighth season, but later in the season it was discovered that the resident male was Mozart, and it is possible that Mozart has been present since the beginning of the breeding season.

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Madame X
Hatched 1999
(Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania)
aka Runaround Sue

Toledo
Hatched 1995
(Toledo, Ohio)

Toledo arrived in Hamilton in the fall of 1998. For the first four years of this nest site, the resident female was a bird of unknown origin known as Mom. The fate of Mom is unknown. Toledo died in late 2000 and was replaced by Madame X, originally known as "Runaround Sue"

Mozart

Hatched 1999
(Cleveland, Ohio)

Percy
Hatched 1993
(Montreal, Quebec)

Originally known as Dad, the resident male was renamed Percy in 2000 in honour of his perseverance through the loss of his original mate Mom and the subsequent failure to hatch of Toledo's first clutch.

1995 nesting season:
Wainright (M), Alberta (F), Hamilton (M)
(Alberta arrived in Etobicoke in 1997; the others have not been heard from)

1996 nesting season:
No chicks fledged - at least one hatched, but a severe storm struck when it/they were young, and the chick(s) did not survive.

1997 nesting season:
Fairclough (M), Sheraton (M), Spectator (F), Stelco (F)
(No confirmed sightings since the end of the summer)

1998 nesting season:
Navigator (F), High Rise (F), Freedom (M), Phoenix (M)
(Freedom died in an aerial collision with a kestrel a month after taking flight; the others have not been seen since late summer 1998)

1999 nesting season:
George (M), Grace (F)
(These two chicks were fostered replacements for the four eggs which did not hatch; both dispersed by mid-summer - George has nested in London annually since 2000, while Grace has not been seen since leaving Hamilton)

2000 nesting season:
Millie (F), Skywalker (F), Solo (M), Wookie (M)
(Millie died in a collision within a few days of fledging; the other three became independent but have not been heard from since)

2001 nesting season:
Sal (M), Hal (M)
(Both chicks fledged successfully; Hal was reported in Chatham in February 2002 and Mississauga in April 2002; Sal breeding in Mississauga Centre in 2002)

2002 nesting season:
Beasley (F), Springer (M), McQuesten (M)
(All three chicks fledged successfully)

SITE HISTORY

FEMALE

MALE

OFFSPRING

In March 2001, a pair of adult peregrines was discovered in downtown St. Catharines. The male was traced through his leg bands to be Mozart, originally from Cleveland; his unbanded mate was then appropriately named Constanza (the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's wife). The pair was regularly seen on or near the Corbloc building in downtown St. Catharines. Only minimal activity was observed in 2002, and Mozart moved to take over the Hamilton territory.

Constanza

history unknown
(unbanded)

Mozart

Hatched 1999
(Cleveland, Ohio)

2001 nesting season:
Three eggs were laid in a nest tray installed by the Canadian Peregrine Foundation on the Corbloc building. Unfortunately the eggs disappeared within a few days of being laid. The adults have remained around St. Catharines, and it is hoped that they will make another nesting attempt in 2002.

SITE HISTORY

FEMALE

MALE

OFFSPRING

The arrival of Amelia and Henny at Niagara Falls in 1998 represented the first pair of peregrines to nest at a natural site in southern Ontario in several decades.

In 1998 they nested on a ledge just below the Horseshoe Falls, in full view of millions of people; in 1999 they again raised a family in the area, but nested elsewhere and out of sight. Their nests in 2000, 2001, and 2002 were on Goat Island between the American and Canadian falls, and it is possible that this is the site they used in 1999 as well.

Amelia Earhart
Hatched 1996
(London, Ontario)

Father Hennepin (Henny)
history unknown
(unbanded)

1998 nesting season:
Thunder (M), Cascade (F), Misty (F)
(Cascade nested in Cleveland on a bridge over the Cuyahoga River in 2000 and 2001, but has since died; her siblings have not been reported since they dispersed in late summer)

1999 nesting season:
Four unnamed chicks fledged successfully; thought to be three females and one male
(Because the nest could not be located, these birds were not banded, and it will be impossible to identify them should they be sighted in the future)

2000 nesting season:
Two unnamed chicks fledged successfully; one male and one female.
(Because of the difficult in safely accessing the nest, these birds were not banded, and it will be impossible to identify them should they be sighted in the future)

2001 nesting season:
One unnamed chicks fledged
(Because of the difficult in safely accessing the nest, this chick was not banded)

SITE HISTORY

FEMALE

MALES

OFFSPRING

Peregrines first appeared in London in 1995, but did not breed. Since 1996, however, peregrines have been nesting on the Canada Trust Tower in downtown London.

From 1997 to 2000, the nesting female was Calypso; the previous year it had been a different bird known as "L2". Over these four years, Calypso has laid a total of six infertile eggs.

In the spring of 2000, one-year-old George displaced Maple, the resident adult male. When Calypso died in June, George was left to raise their young on his own, and he fared very well. Another mate, an unidentified first-year female, joined George for the 2001 season, and they were together again in 2002.

Calypso
Hatched 1995
(Cleveland, Ohio)

Died when electrocuted by a lightning strike in June 2000.

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Maple
Hatched 1992
(Maple, Ontario)

George
Hatched 1999
(Hamilton, Ontario)

1996 nesting season:
Two females and one male
(Younger female died in a collision with a window; older female known as Amelia arrived in Niagara, 1998 and has nested there annually ever since; male known as Orville nested in Lima, Ohio 1998-2000, but was found dead in Oct 2000)

1997 nesting season:
One female chick
(No sightings reported since summer 1997)

1998 nesting season:
Mulder (M), Scully (F), Freddy X (M)
(Scully died upon impact with a downtown building in her first few days of flight; the others have not been reported since late summer 1998)

1999 nesting season:
Anakin (M), Queen Amidala (F),
Obiwan (M)
(Amidala died in a collision with a downtown building, and Anakin was found shot, but Obiwan remained healthy)

2000 nesting season:
Xander (M), Buffy (F), Willow (F)
(All three required street level rescues but escaped without injury. Willow was seen at Pearson Airport in the late summer of 2000; the others have not been reported since they became independent)

2001 nesting season:
Xena (F), Gabrielle (F), Joxer (M)
(All three required street level rescues but were uninjured. None have been reported since dispersing in midsummer)

2002 nesting season:
Frodo (M), Gandalf (M)
(Both fledged successfully)

Downtown Toronto	Etobicoke	Ottawa	Niagara Falls
Midtown Toronto	Scarborough / North York	Hamilton	London
Uptown Toronto	Mississauga	St. Catharines	Release sites

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation

Southern Ontario
Peregrine Nest Sites

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation

Southern Ontario Peregrine Nest Sites

Southern Ontario
Peregrine Nest Sites