William Osler Sat June 28; What a Day!!
June 28, 2014 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Rob started off the morning shift at the William Osler nest site with an absolute bang. He was able to locate blue and yellow right away as blue was flying like a rock star and yellow was in the tower screaming about it at the top of her lungs. He scanned the usual places for signs of the other two and no one was to be found. He was approached by a police officer that was curious to know what he was looking at and they struck up a great conversation. Half way through the officer asked if the bird on the emergency drive overhang was one of the peregrines and suddenly Rob was face to face with little Big Red. She was now found! All through his conversation with the officer and search for the missing two, Rob had been texting me and I could barely contain my excitement for him. I wanted to head home right away and help but we still had the event to complete. It goes without saying that my mind was back at William Osler. The texts between us were flying as so were the birds he was watching. Red flew and headed over to the residential area and blue had disappeared to the west. Yellow was screaming in the tower and white was still nowhere to be seen. At some point red flew again and ended up in a tree and then off to the low medical centre roof. It was then that Rob also found white on the same roof and realized that he had been up on the emergency roof as well. Now Rob had all 4 young ones bee bopping around with only one of them having real experience. I texted all the watchers and sent out the help call to which they all responded. Winston arrived first to give Rob a hand with a head count. Bruce arrived from downtown and Bonnie was there as well helping to keep an eye on the 3 chicks in sight. Lucie came down to join the watch crew and Rob went home for a well deserved rest. Winston also left as he was returning that night leaving Bonnie, Bruce and Lucie with the crazy kids all flying about.
For the most part, the flights were all fairly good and calculated. There was some window ledging, glass bumping and tree roosting but by the afternoon they were all landing on the rooftop, nest ledge and hydro tower. That evening the four fledglings were all fed in the tower and one by one they returned to the nest ledge to sleep. One brave little fledgling, blue most likely, decided to spend the night in the tower and the whole family settled in to bed triumphant that they all figured out the wing thing.
Thanks once again to the most amazing crew of watchers. Rob, Bonnie, Lucie, Bruce and Winston for all braving the heat and the madness that fledge watch always brings. Your help today made this such a success. You make it look so easy!! I look forward to spending the day with the family tomorrow and seeing hopefully some of the great flights that I have missed up to now! I can’t wait!!