Flying games
June 21, 2015 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Lisa Reh Reports:
At 6:30 Saturday morning, Janice started the watch along with Caster on the CTV antenna and Mystery on the hospital antenna. Two juveniles flew around the hospital, one more graceful than the other. At 6:45, two walked around the hospital roof ledge, vocalizing loudly while the parents watched. Two juveniles took flight around the hospital again. At 7:00, Caster and Mystery flew off. Shortly after, Mystery landed back on the hospital antenna while one juvenile relaxed on the highest hospital roof. Another flew over the hospital from a different level. Just before 7:30, one juvenile flew to the roof on the Park Street side and one was perched on the antenna. Just before 8:00, all four juveniles were on the hospital, two sunning themselves on the black rooftop below the antenna, one on the rooftop over the hospital’s main entrance as one did a fly by around their siblings. Mystery remained on the antenna supervising, while the kids started vocalizing loudly. At 8:00, Caster flew by the hospital with a breakfast package and took it to the CTV tower to clean. One of the juveniles joined Caster on the platform for breakfast but accidentally dropped half of it on to the lower platform railing. Caster is vocalizing loudly. The three on the hospital roof seemed to ignore him and remained where they were. When Janice left the watch at 8:30, Caster and one juvenile were on the CTV tower, breakfast remains were hanging over the railing and only one other juvenile was visible on the hospital roof.
At 9:00, Kim and I were on the watch and could see the Caster and Mystery flying from the tower to the hospital and to the Sun Life rooftop and back again. Two juveniles were visible on the hospital rooftop. David was also on the watch along with some new watchers from Waterloo Region Nature. Mystery was perched on the hospital’s antenna with one of the kids. Mystery left and two of the juveniles took her place on the antenna. There were many flights to the hospital and back. Mystery went back to the CTV tower and then left again. One of the juveniles flew to the hospital roof. Ginnie was there and Reggie flew across to join her. Ginnie then left with Reggie following her. They went back to the corner of the hospital to finish some food that was left there earlier. Karen also joined the group at 10:45. Just before 12:00, Reggie did another flight to the hospital tower, Ginnie was still on one of the corners of the hospital and both Chroma and Redbud did flights to the top drum of the CTV tower.
At 7:30 that evening, Kellie was on the watch and all six birds were accounted for. The kids were flying back and forth between the hospital and the CTV tower for quite some time. Two siblings were playing ‘chase’ around the hospital. Only one juvenile never moved from the corner of the H hospital sign until one of it’s siblings looked like it was about to crash land into it and then it did put up its wings briefly but never did fly off. Caster was circling the Sun Life building, and Mystery was perched on the nest tower half way up. She flew off for a bit, then returned to one of the lower level railings. These juvenile falcons are all doing really well and have passed all their initial flight tests!
Kellie observed, that their landings are still very awkward. Their flights are now deliberate, but often they are going a little too fast to make a safe landing and have to circle back around to try landing again and again. Both adults make the Sun Life tower part of their regular perch and it is only a matter of time that the juveniles will follow them to the glass tower. The juveniles will need to experience what glass windows are and we’re hoping they will only brush the windows and not injure themselves in doing so. The fledge watch team will still be keeping an eye on the sky while they start to explore new areas and their range opens up.
On Sunday night, Karen arrived on the watch at 8:00 p.m. to some loud vocalizations from the kids on various parts of the CTV tower. Mystery also was making lots of noise and eventually took off into a very low swoop over the smaller buildings that line King Street. A couple of the kids followed over the low rooftops! Karen held her breath while they flew at that low level towards the Sun Life parking lot but then lost sight of them. Perhaps, Mystery is teaching them where the little birds are? At 8:30, one of the juveniles took off and seemed to pursue a couple of small birds inflight but missed and landed on the hospital roof. The setting sun made it difficult for Karen to identify the juveniles but they all returned to the tower eventually. One juvenile then flew again at a lower level between the two hydro wires across from the tower! Mystery and Caster were perched on the Sun Life tower. One of the juveniles was at the hospital but by the end of the watch just after 9:00, all four kids were back on the tower at the end of this longest day of the year!
Photos courtesy of Karen von Knobloch
