!!! Despite the fact that there are still no eggs again this year, the Toronto 18 King Street pair are still very active on the nest ledge!
June 04, 2016 - Toronto - King Street
Mark Nash Reports:
June 3rd - 2016
An opportunity to review some of the nest cams,, the 18 King Street love birds are still very active on the nest ledge!
Sadly, none of the photos are clear enough to identify the leg band numbers, but once again, the female has a Black over Red leg band consistent with that of the long standing resident adult female - Erin, and the newer adult male has a solid Black coloured leg band which is consistent with that of Stormin.
Last week, the pair aggressively defended the upper east ledge elevations when Solar window washing tried to wash the east side windows. The guys were almost ignored as they washed the south, west, and north sides, (including that of their roof top set-up).
While we have no idea why Erin and Stormin have not produced these past two seasons, it is obvious that they are still very much defending and holding on to each other and the nest ledge. It is also interesting to remember, that the 18 King Street nest site is Toronto’s first, having been established back in 1995, and has been occupied by a pair of peregrines every each since 1995!
Pounce-Kingsley - (from Akron Ohio and Victoria from Pennsylvania) were the first pair to nest and produce at this site and were active from 1995 to 2002 - (and produced every year),,, then they were replaced as the site when it was taken over by Erin and Windwhistler - (a.k.a. - Spike who was produced at the Etobicoke Bloor and Islington nest site). Erin and Windwhistler have been producing each and every year up until two seasons ago.
Now its Erin and her new mate Stormin.
Given that the site has been both active and producing offspring each and every year since 1995, (and still occupied today), it is one of Canada’s longest standing occupied territories, and one of if not the most productive peregrine nest sites in Ontario and all of Canada!
It is also important to remember that Windwhistler was also double timing Erin for many years, as he was also the sire and resident adult at another nest site here in Toronto, (at the Toronto Sheraton Hotel), where each year he produced offspring at both the Sheraton and 18 King street nest site simultaneously. He flew back and forth from the 18 King Street nest site to the Toronto Sheraton Hotel on a daily basis dealing with two mates and two clutches of hatchlings at both nest sites!
He was a very busy, and a very productive peregrine!!!
During this period of time, there was a noticeable lack of adult males, and as such, we documented two adult males here in southern Ontario at two urban nest sites that were servicing two different nest sites and their resident adult females each season. Both of these males were successful in producing at both nest sites each season. We watched and documented each of these two males fly back and forth to each of their mates on a daily basis to provide food for their two mates and two sets of hatchlings!
