!!! Successful Foster!! Hatchlings are now at the William Osler Health Care Centre nest site in Etobicoke.
June 08, 2009 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
Over the weekend we were able to choose the perfect foster site for the three MEC hatchlings. With the assistance from the wonderful folks at the William Osler Health Care Centre, we were able to confirm that status of the resident peregrines. Reconfirming that the resident female was still incubating her eggs, and knowing that they beyond the hatch day and with no hope of a hatch, this stage was set for the perfect fostering condition as this is exactly the situation that was needed. The ideal foster nest site!
With the hatchlings much stronger and healthier, it was time to introduce them to their new foster parents. The three hatchlings departed the CPF raptor centre late this afternoon and arrived at the William Osler Hospital safe and sound. We were greeted by the hospital security and maintenance personal and awaited Mark’s arrival from MNR. We proceeded to the upper floors to the access hatch to the nest ledge. After re-confirming for the last time that the resident female was still incubating the eggs and that the resident male was still in attendance, the hatch door was carefully opened and the 3 remaining un-hatched eggs were removed and replaced with the three young peregrines. Despite both of the resident peregrines objection to this intrusion, the procedure went without a hitch and the access door was closed and secured.
For the next ten plus minutes we all waited and watched in anticipation that the resident adult female would accept her new foster family. She was joined by her mate and we watched both of the resident adults stare in absolute bewilderment. Seconds later, the hatchlings started to vocalize. Seconds later, both of the adults started to vocalize back to the three young peregrine hatchlings. Moments in to this scream-feast, , one of the chicks walked off out of our view down the ledge. Fearing that worst that one of the hatchlings may be on its way too close to the edge of the ledge, we preceded to ground level and to the outside the building and positioned ourselves directly under the ledge. The vocalizing from all of the peregrines was deafening even eight stories down.
What we witnessed from this vantage point was nothing shy of spectacular and amazing. Both of the resident adult peregrines were involved in this scream feast with the hatchlings, all while touching beaks together. The adult male was the most confused and made a dozen touch-and -go flights back and forth from the nest ledge to the hydro towers to the east, than back to the nest building and nest ledge. Throughout this entire time frame, - (which lasted close to a half an hour), the adult resident male also went after and chased of several gulls.
By 5:55 pm, the male finally bought in a small food package, and the adult female was quick to snatch it from him and preceded to feed her newly acquired family. For the next three hours while we watched on, the male brought in three other food packages to the ledge. Each time the adult female snatched the food packages from him and proceeded to feed the hatchlings. By the end of the day as we lost our daylight, all three hatchlings had been few several times and had huge full bulging full crops. Both adults continued to be very vocal right up to when darkness fell, and all fell silent.
By the time 9 pm rolled around and the darkness set in, the adult female had herded all three of the hatchlings back down the ledge into the nest tray behind the hospital sign where they all disappeared from our view. It couldn’t have worked out better!! Tracy joined me around 5 pm and stayed until darkness. During our visit, both of the resident adults were ID’ed and their band numbers were recorded and photographed. The resident adult male is non other than Hurricane, who was produced at the Toronto Sheraton hotel nest site in 2004, dawning a solid black band 5 over X. Hurricane has been the resident adult here at the William Osler Hospital nest site since 2006 when he arrived as a first year juvenile in full brown plumage.
The resident adult female dawns a Black M over Green 87 band. We hope to have some history on her very soon. Stay tuned… More to come!
See photos in the William Osler report.