affordwatches

!!! Nest box delivered, intall date set, a break in the wheather and a “not-so pleased surprize visitor” ! LOL - Lets getter-done!!

March 24, 2015 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower

Mark Nash Reports:

March 24th - 2015

With the coordination and support of Zeljko at the CTV studios in Kitchener, along with Rudy, the install date was finally set, and we all assembled at 11am on March 24th at the CTV studio’s on King Street in Kitchener.

Alone with Dale & Karen, and a host of other CPF volunteers and fledge watch team members assembled, we began.

With the added support and help of CPF’s volunteer rock climber along with Matt Falkiner - Field Supervisor / Project Manager and Chuck Schask from Trylon who all actually climbed the tower and did the physical nest box install on the tower platform, the entire operation and install was completed in less than four hours!!

Early in the day upon our arrival, Rudy and Dale helped me assemble the nest box components in the CTV Studios, while Karen took all of the still photos throughout the day from the ground.
*** See attached photos of the days events from Karen

Chuck from Trylon took most of the photos of the nest box installed at its elevation, and Jeff Turner from CTV manned the video camera and filmed pretty much the entire event from start to finish. ***See attached tower top nest box photos by Chuck.

With Rudy and Dale manning the ground guide ropes, myself and Matt working the electric winch, and John and Chuck up the tower on the lower platform, the nest box was hoisted up into position. The final roof section was then hoisted up into position the nest box camera was attached onto the inside roof, and than it was finally attached to the nest box itself.

Lastly, the five bags of pea-gravel was eventually hoisted up the tower platform and dumped into the nest box and nest box landing platform.

What an incredible team!!!!

One last incredible bonus and surprise visitor!!
At almost the end of the install, we had a surprise visitor soar around overhead vocalizing and scolding the guys in the tower. Karen bolted across the parking lot, camera in hand and managed to get some great photos of our loud overhead visitor. It was non other than Castor, the resident territorial adult male, with a fresh kill in his clutches. I suspect that he might have wanted to come down into the tower to properly prepare his fresh kill, but decided that there was simply tooooo many up in the tower to share his lunch with! LOL !

Karen got a great photo of him! *** See attached photos of Castor by Karen

March 11th - 2015
Because of the timing and the availability of the crane and other manpower and resources needed, the first of the three nest box installs had to be another, (the first we installed successfully out in Pickering).,,, and thank goodness, I t got installed BEFORE the resident peregrines returned from their wintering grounds. One of the resident adults has since returned and seems by all reports, absolutely delighted with its new nest box!!

March 9th - 2015
Rudy was kind enough to make a trip from his home in Kitchener early in March to the CPF Raptor centre in Vaughan to pick up the nest box and deliver it back to Kitchener and the CTV studio’s so Zeljko from CTV could have the nest box in hand to install their new colour IP camera!