Brisk Fledges Today and Simcoe Not Seen
June 17, 2012 - Toronto - Canada Square Building - Yonge and Eglinton
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Canada Square Peregrine report 20120617
I arrived at 8:54 am and of course the first thing I did was search for Simcoe. He was not to be found. Haven was on the Rio-Can building lp0oolking south and Stormin was on the antennal above 2180 Yonge, looking south. I thought possibly Simcoe might be on the part of that building south of the *bump in the middle*. So I decided to go walkabout and went around that block. That meant all the way south past the construction on Duplex Ave, along the street south of 2180 Yonge, past the parking entrance, up Yonge to Eglinton. Because I had to fetch the ID I had left behind I decided to look out over the Black building and that parking lot as well as the front half of 2180 Yonge. Not a bird to be seen.
So I returned to the outdoors and Marion was in place. I gave her my report. We sat for a bit and watched Haven flying, perching and flying again. When I met Marion Stormin had flown from the antenna and Haven was on her way to replace him. About twenty minutes later she flew north on the west side of Canada Square and upset the youngsters still on the ledges.
Simcoe was in this area and also flying about a bit before going south, followed by Haven.
Marion wanted to look for Simcoe and chose to take the opposite route from mine by going along Eglinton to Yonge, down Yonge, along the street with the parking entrance which she went into. Marion went up to the roof and along it to the outside fire stairs and climbed them for a better vantage point. There was no little bird to be seen or heard!
At 10:59 am whilst Marion was away I saw a peregrine flutter into a window and drop several floors. Haven immediately flew in to offer guidance and assistance to gain the height to reach the top of the *black* building. He made it onto the roof but was not on the edge so I could not see him. I believed this to be Simcoe and when Marion arrived I relayed the activity. There was only one eyas visible at this point! I thought I had checked the ledges after the peregrine had flown and had seen two eyases. Not so !! We waited and watched for ages and there was no movement on the lower level. Haven was doing a lot flying around but not to the nest or level below. Finally, an hour after I had seen *Simcoe*, Marion saw him on the edge of the black building. By this time we had established that it was Brisk who had flown!!!
Brisk flew from the edge out of sight and a few minutes later he flew back. Then he moved along the edge all the way around the roof to the second corner.
12:19pm we had him in the air again. This time he was on a long flight from the black building over the residential area. While Marion moved south to an opening I tried north over the 53 Division parking lot because Haven had flown in at speed and low over this spot. I did not see anything. A few minutes later we heard a call and Marion charged up to Eglinton to look for him but to avail. We saw Haven fly to the apartment building and then to the balcony railing on Canada Square. Shortly thereafter Haven flew to RC.
Marion kept scanning the area and at 1:50 found Brisk, pleased as punch sitting on the railing on the balcony on the nineteenth floor! He was not comfortable on the metal and moved off on the concrete wall.
Three minutes later, at 1:53, he flew off the balcony, around the corner of Rio-Can over Eglinton to the roof of Canada Square where he attempted a landing but missed his footing and fluttered down the concrete wall, recovered beautifully and flew out over the old bus bays, around and back onto the roof – perfect landing! All of his flights thus far were strong steady wing flaps and for the most part he either gained height helped by Haven or maintained his height himself. Very impressive. His recovery from encounters with walls is very good too.
Haven flew high and low, back and forth and each time Brisk saw her he squawked. He definitely wanted FOOD NOW! At 4:12 she flew in with a food package for Solar. She continued her flaying and Brisk maintained his squawks! He stayed in the same spot for all these hours. Finally he walked north along the edge of the roof and did make it to the north west corner of Canada Square.
Haven chased a pigeon over Eglinton, must have hit it because it fluttered a bit. Stormin came to assist and someone got the pigeon. It must have been Haven because she flew to the top of the black building and began preparing the bird for one of her offspring. Feathers were flying everywhere and at one point it looked like a snowstorm. Stormin joined Haven and gradually made his way closer and eventually was simply a couple of feet from her.
It was at this point that I lost the thread as I was talking to some people who had stopped and asked what we were looking at. When told peregrines they said thanks and moved off from the traffic light only to stop a bit down the road. It was here I spoke to them.
There were exclamations from the watchers up the road and then again and it from here that I hope Tracy will pick up the story as I did not see much of the activity nor retain what I saw with any clarity.
At the end of the day the rain came down in big drops at first and then the heavens opened and it poured. A very stuffed and wet little peregrine named Brisk did not like being on top of Rio-Can and FLEW to Canada Square where he made a not so graceful landing away from the edge and then popped up on the ledge afterwards. We were being soaked and fled the scene for shelter. I just hope that Brisk stayed put after that.
Lyn