affordwatches

!!! A third failed nesting attempt, and now, the pair appear to have abandoned the territory altogether?

July 05, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Mark Nash Reports:

June 29th and July 5th -2013
Sorry for the lack of updates and postings as we have still been in the field on the watch at several other nest sites and had to mobilize our available manpower and resources to other areas of most need.

As you know, there is only so many of us that are actually mobile with vehicles and the ability to get around to the many nest sites to do a physical check,, and given that we are still very back-logged with observation reports that we have yet to get posted, (most of them being delivered to us by phone call-ins) as opposed to these folks doing their own web site postings), it has as you might imagine, been a monumental task to get everything logged, written down, and eventually posted after being in the streets ourselves 16 plus hours a day. By the time many of us get home in the evenings after a 14 to 16 hour stint in the streets on the watch, finally getting home most often only arriving after 11pm, its all that most of us can do just to get something to eat and crawl into bed, knowing that 5am comes early again and we’re back out into the streets on the fledge watch for another 15 plus hours the nest day!

That being said, we are still very active doing spot checks in between the still ongoing fledge watches and the Hearn nest site has not gone unchecked.

While this is an older update (from Saturday June 1st) I combination with the most recent update from yesterday - (June 5th), both observation reports are consistent, in that it would appear that Peter and his mate have finally given up on their nesting activities, AND appear to have abandoned the site altogether.

I was personally down to Hearn on Saturday June 29th after coming from the Yellow Pages fledge watch, and spent several hours until darkness and never observed any peregrine activity at all. While not unusual for the most parts given the incredible expanse of the Hearn plant , you can usually see activity in the later evening hours just before dark during their prime hunting times, (this especially given that their is a territorial nesting pair on site). Sadly, the most recent observation report that was just received yesterday - (Friday July 5th) by one of our local watchers, confirms that there has been no activity at the nest site itself and also concludes that the pair have abandoned the site.

It is most confusing that the pair might have actually abandoned the territory altogether?? Only time will tell and we will be soon be able to ramp up our monitoring in a few days after the last of the intense fledge watches are completed. We have had to re-start a fledge watch at the Etobicoke Bloor & Islington nest site due to the re-release of little “Lizzy” that has spent the last 9 days under intensive care after colliding with a window and suffered partial paralyzes as a result of the spinal swelling.

the good news for her, is that she has been released back to her parent care in record time, and is now starting to fly again. The best news, is that both of her parents are attending and both she and one of her younger siblings have teamed up and seem inseparable together.

Obviously, any and all observations of the Hearn site is most welcomed, as we are understandably both a little confused at the recent happenings. While we often see failed nest attempts, total abandonment of the territory by a pair that have already have a real affinity to the territory is very unusual indeed.

Your assiastance is most needed to help us do some observations at this site.
Stay tuned………………….