Spectacular flying!
June 18, 2016 - Kitchener - CTV-Bell Media Tower
Lisa Reh Reports:
It was a noisy morning at 6:45 a.m. on Saturday when Janice was on the watch. Two of the juveniles were on the top of the CTV tower and one was on the antenna at Kings Tower with a parent looking on. Lots of vocalizations were coming from the top of the CTV tower. At 7:00, the juvenile on the Kings Tower antenna flew back to sit beside one of it’s siblings. At 7:25, the fourth juvenile was located on the Kings Tower roof on the Central Fresh Market side. It was quiet until 7:45 when another juvenile flew to Kings Tower. The one left behind called to the others. A few minutes later, the one on the far side of Kings Tower flew to join it’s sibling and they had a lot to say to each other. The adult still looked on from the antenna. At 7:55, it was non stop vocalizing from the two on the CTV tower. At 8:05 one of the juveniles on Kings Tower flew to the front of the building and the other perched lower down on the antenna. The two juveniles on the CTV tower didn’t move the entire time. It got quiet for a few minutes and then the wing flapping and vocalizing started up again.
At 9:00 a.m., two of the juveniles perched on the top scaffolding on the CTV tower and two were still on Kings Tower. A food drop came in at 9:15 and one juvenile flew back from Kings Tower to CTV to squabble with it’s siblings. Martha and I were on the watch at 10:15. Three juveniles were on the top platform on the west side and an adult was on the north railing on the nest box platform as two vultures sailed by.
At 10:20, one of the juveniles took off at lightening speed and flew all the way to the Sun Life building, where he met up with one of the adults with a pigeon in tow! There was a spectacular display of teasing and taunting from the adult to the juvenile as they flew back towards the hospital, twisting and turning through the air with the pigeon. They then moved overtop of the CTV rooftop and all four juveniles were in the air flying every which way while trying to get the pigeon! Unfortunately, the pigeon dropped to the rooftop and they all flew back to their respective perches. At 10:40, an osprey flew by and was immediately escorted out of the area by one of the adults. The adult landed on the hospital antenna while the kids vocalized loudly! Shortly after 11:00 one juvenile circled around the CTV tower but misjudged the landing and headed to Kings Towers, landed there and jumped down to the rooftop and out of sight. It quieted down after that with at least three on the top platform of the CTV tower. Rudy and Michael were watching in the afternoon. At 2:30 a pigeon was brought in to the top of the tower. A great blue heron flew overtop of the nest site really high up. At 8:45, there were a few nice flights over to the Kings Tower antenna, one over to the hospital antenna to join an adult and back. Three were on the top of the CTV platform at the end of the watch.
Photos courtesy of Heather Buerkle & Michael Hilborn
