Ghent Fledges!
June 07, 2014 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Bruce Massey Reports:
0500 Hrs. Arrived @ bridge, set up and found Ghent in nest box and Mom in the Hamilton hydro tower.
0600 Hrs. After an hour of activity and then inaction Dad caught what appeared to be a starling and took it up to Ghent for breakfast.
0645 Hrs. All of a sudden Mom & Dad, especially Mom, went crazy alarm calling & stooping the harbor side of the Burlington side of the Bridge. This action, and considering Ghent was fairly quiet, I figured needed to be checked out. As I got over to the Burlington side of the Bridge I witnessed the female stooping what looked like a cat, (At least this the closest thing I can think it was) over on the bike path and even into the bushes. In fact there was a unsuspecting bike rider coming over the hill as the female peregrine did a 90 degree stoop on the cat.
0705 Hrs.- For the umpteenth time, Ghent flapped wings, bobbed his head, outstretch wings,……we finally have fledge. Without supervision and quietly Ghent did a classic flight to the top of the Hamilton Bridge. He then spent the next hour & half or so sleeping, eating & trying out his balance on lights over the “CANADA” sign.
1100 Hrs. In a quick happening series of events, that only got sorted out after Bill, Sue and I sat down and debriefed the incident we figured out that Mom had caught a pigeon & she used the Burlington Hydro Tower as a “Butcher Block”. Dad and Ghent were over on the Hamilton Bridge Tower and whether intentionally or otherwise flew around the tower and towards the scaffolding. Dad aggressively pursued him and managed to have Ghent land on the top.
1200 Hrs. Mom & Dad working collectively managed to move Ghent over to the bridge abutment, but as soon as he finished his food he went to “Play” on the scaffolding.
1230 Hrs. Ghent flew back in the direction he came, heading back to the Hamilton side of the bridge. He maintained height but just missed landing on a horizontal beam and dropped down out of sight. His perch must have been precarious as he came out from where he had disappeared and being lower he ended up in one of the holes in the vertical columns of the bridge.
1500 Hrs.- Ghent finally extracted himself from the above situation by flying to a horizontal beam just above the bridge traffic. He then spent the next 2 or so hours hopping around & meeting some of his future dinners (Pigeons).
1700 Hrs.- Ghent finally flew off and after several attempts @ landings came to ground behind an 8′ fence by one of the bridge abutments. Both of his parents knew his location. His next flight was over the fence (Not as easy as you think for a peregrine) and landing on the top of a shipping container. From there it was what turned out to be his last flight of the day (Final Total-8) which was around the bridge abutment, through the scaffolding and finally perching on it about 30′ up. In spite of repeated fly by teasing, one amazing flight by the female into the scaffolding to beak feed Ghent one single morsel and then trying to show him the way out, that was where he remained when I closed,the watch @ 0930 Hrs.