July 02, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
CPF Postmaster Reports:
July 2nd -2011
Hello , We are Carol and Brent ,, we live on Beach Blvd about 1000 meters from the Lift Bridge . Last evening we heard and sighted all 3 Falcons as they landed very high up on the Tower at Pandora Ave .. I was able to get a couple pictures ,, but our camera is small digital and not great for telephoto action. The time on our camera indicates about 7pm..They were squawking quite a bit as they flew above us on our deck , about 3-4 times , before settling on the tower. Hope this helps explain their absence ,, for a while.. B.B.
Sent from my iPad.
C. and B.
Posted on July 4, 2011 12:41 pm
June 30, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Bill and I got to the Lift Bridge last evening (6/29/11) around 5:30. We searched in all the usual spots, but with no luck. Finally around 6:15 Bill spotted one juvenile tucked under the Skyway Bridge on one of the beams. She had her back to us so we were unable to see who it was. We never did find the other Juvenile. There was no movement whatsoever, so we decided to head for home around 6:45. I guess we should have waited a little longer because:
Paul Reynolds reports the following after his arrival between 6:45 and 7:00:
Hi Sue, I’ve been to the pier a number of times, watching the kids play. Tonight (6/29/11) I saw Lady Nelson hunting in the trees across the canal on the Burlington side. Lady Lamont came from behind carrying a pigeon about ten feet off the water. She landed over in the boat launch area in the middle of the grass. I left to go fishing then on the way back to the car I noticed Lady Lamont was up the Hamilton Hydro tower finishing off her meal. As I drove out the two of them were flying together around the same Hydro tower.
Back to Monday (6/27/11) evening, both birds were sitting on the top rail of the bridge, and it was pretty clear they were chasing the pigeons as they went down to drink.
Attached are a few photos from June 26 and June 27.
Posted on June 30, 2011 4:13 pm
June 16, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
We are in the process of going over the thousands of photos taken in the last couple of week. This is Lady Nelson just before the attempted rescue on June 16th. She was sitting dangerously close to the road and just above the sidewalk.
Posted on June 25, 2011 10:49 am
June 24, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Bill and I arrived at the bridge shortly after 6pm. Rick and Teresa were there and they informed us that the girls had been playing. Immediately, upon our arrival, the games continued. They are pretty funny girls to watch, as you can’t see one without the other. One flies to the bridge the other is right behind her. One flies to the Skyway, the other follows. They are definitely best buds until it comes to food. At one point, both girls landed on the roof of the control tower. Lady Lamont sat on the railing and Lady Nelson was missing for some time. All of a sudden she (Lady Nelson) jumped up to the railing where her sister was and she was soaking wet. She had been taking a bath in the puddles on the roof of the tower. She continued to sit on the railing for a while to dry out. She finally gave into the coaxing of Lady Lamont and took to the air. They were diving on the pigeons on the ground, on the bridge and in the air. Quite a spectacle to watch. My heart was in my mouth on several occasions as they darted in and out of the bridge, sometimes at a very low level. I kept praying that a truck wouldn’t come along and sweep them away.
Mom made a very brief appearance, which caused a lot of screaming. Dad was nowhere to be found.
Posted on June 25, 2011 9:53 am
June 22, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
On Wednesday afternoon, Bill and I arrived at the Bridge just in time to see Mom bring in a pigeon. As she was flying over to the Skyway Bridge abutment just beyond the parking lot, the girls spotted her and the race was one. Who could outmaneuver who? Lady Lamont won the race and grabbed the pigeon from Mom. Lady Nelson waited while her sister consumed nearly the whole pigeon. She walked all around the abutment but Lady Lamont was not for sharing. Finally, after eating her fill, Lady Lamont walked away for a snooze and Lady Nelson got the remains.
Posted on June 25, 2011 9:48 am
June 19, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Paul Reynolds Reports:
5:45 am this morning Dad was in his usual spot on the old nest ledge and no one else was visible . On walking down the pier I looked back as lady Lamont flew across to the Burlington tower landing on the cable arm Bay side. Dad had moved across to the Hamilton tower roof and Mum appeared flying up to the top of the Hydro tower Burlington side. She made a long dive towards Burlington but came back empty, settling on the top of the Hamilton Hydro tower.
But now Lady Lamont was screaming “I’m hungry” so she then went foraging for food on all the picnic tables, flying to each one. The landings were pretty good. Seems like she has done this before. When I left at 8:30am Lady Lamont was on the bay side cable arm Hamilton tower maybe I should say in the cable arm. All the time I was there I only saw three birds, Lady Nelson was hiding some place.
Bill and I just returned after spending 3 hours at the Bridge. The two girls were laying around on the Hamilton bay side cable arm. Mom did a couple of flybys which was enough to get them screaming but not enough to get them up and moving. Very little activity today.
Posted on June 19, 2011 3:56 pm
June 18, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
When Bill and I returned after dinner this evening, things were still quiet. All of a sudden Lady Nelson spotted Dad under the Skyway Bridge dining. The screaming was not getting her anywhere and the desire was too strong for her to control. She took off, made a great landing on the Skyway beam and immediately grabbed the food away from Dad. He took off and left her there to finish it.
At around 6:40pm, Mom flew by Lady Lamont who was sitting on a picnic table. She was carrying a great big juicy pigeon. Just like Lady Nelson, the screaming was not doing her any good. Mom continued to entice her with flybys. Finally Lady Lamont took to the air and the first food transfer took place. Lady Lamont made the catch but unfortunately, was not able to hang on to it.
When we left at 7:30pm both juveniles and Mom and Dad were hanging out on the wires. The kids were still screaming for dinner.
Flights are strong and landings are definitely improving. What will tomorrow bring?
Posted on June 18, 2011 8:51 pm
June 17, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
Paul Reynolds reported this morning:
Sorry I missed the entertainment last night. This morning at the bridge two Falcons were on the cables, the one closest to the nest box was a junior, who while I was there took flight across to the Hamilton tower and missed the landing, turning back to the nest box and missed again, turning around and gaining height this time she made the nest box. I then had to leave. As this is where we left Lady Lamont and Mom last night, I guess it would be safe to assume that they had spent the night on the cables.
When Bill and I arrived around 8am Lady Lamont and Mom were out on one of the picnic tables close to the nest box. Mom had food and Lady Lamont was not to happy about having to wait for her to prepare it. We took a quick look around for Lady Nelson, and we assumed she was MIA. All of a sudden out of nowhere Lady Nelson flew between the towers and landed well on a cross beam on the Burlington Tower. She knew there was food about and took off almost immediately and joined Mom and Lady Lamont on the picnic. The meal was ready and Lady Nelson grabbed it and left Lady Lamont screaming her objection.
The rest of the day the juveniles made several really good flights. The landings are still a little shaky, but things are definitely improving. When we left this evening at 8pm, Lady Lamont was tucked into a corner of the Burlington Tower and Lady Nelson was sitting tall on a picnic table.
Photos to follow.
Posted on June 17, 2011 9:16 pm
June 15, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Mark Nash Reports:
The morning started off with Lady Lamont in sight for the most parts of the day,,, but at some time from first light to 8am, Lady Nelson had taken her first flight and was no where to be found! Our worst fears given the two big bodies of water and the two busy roadways. After hours of searching both sides of the pier on the lake side them on the bay side, pure frustration led to defeat as we all retired to the base camp to do the only thing that was left,, sit and wait and watch the parents to give you a clue as to her location. Hours passed and absolutely noting!! Mom and dad were scarce at best, and when the were visible, they showed absolutely no concern on interest for their missing daughter!!!
Another fews hours passed, and more scanning with the bins and scope and still nothing. Finally, at approx. 2:45 pm, we asked the guys in the bridge if they could escort us to the roof area of the Hamilton tower roof, (now safe as we once again had lady Lamont in sight on the other tower).
Now at roof level, and by 3pm I was scanning the world. Just as I was ready to call it quits, a tiny little brown figure appeared in the massive undercarriage amongst the steel girder superstructure frame of the Burlington skyway bridge on the leading edge of a huge horizontal steel beam.
Guess WHO?? Yes, it was Lady Nelson standing several huge concrete support columns down from on the Burlington side of the canal way up in the steel I-beams!!! I radioed to the group and base camp to a more than overjoyed and very relieved crowd down at ground level.
For the next few hours we watched Lady Nelson make some very short flights (and terrible landing) through the spider web of steel superstructure undercarriage of the Skyway bridge as she made her way back closer to the lift bridge towers.
As she flew to a beam directly behind us. Dad finally appeared in our view, seemingly flying out into our view from thin air to join his daughter. Hmmmm, did he have his eye on her the entire time???
The evening had Lady Nelson finally flying over to the Hamilton tower of the lift bridge, holding up on a steel beam way up on a beam of the Hamilton tower overlooking the canal As darkness fell, and with both fledglings and both adults in sight,, (Lady Lamont back in the nest box and Lady Nelson safely on a steel beam), and both settled in for the evening, we all agreed the it was safe to pack up and go home for the evening.
It was NOT TO BE! Minutes after 9pm, both parents were again airborne alarm calling as they stoped and dove around the upper tower area above and the rear of where Lady Nelson was roosting. After more than 15 minutes of scanning the darkened beams, Sue finally spotted “Rocky the Raccoon” with her binoculars high up on the tower moving around in the shadows.
Both parents were frantic as they continued to alarm call and flew around in the darkness around the rear corner of the upper levels of the back side of the tower.
Finally, we all got a sight line on this huge raccoon slowly descending face down one of the vertical steel ladders. We all watched in horror knowing only tooo well that if “Rocky the Raccoon“ spotted Lady Nelson, it would have been likely a very bad close to the day!
Thank goodness that McKenzie and Cirrus continued their pursuit of Rocky as I`m sure that it was their encouragement that kept Rocky both distracted and on the move down the tower and
past Lady Nelson.
By 10pm, Rocky had finally made its way to the lover bridge road way area and disappeared into the darkness.
We all crossed our fingers that Rocky had enough of McKenzie and Cirrus and officially closed down the fledge watch for the evening.
Stay tuned……
Posted on June 17, 2011 2:55 am
June 16, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
First off let me say, stay tuned for Mark Nash’s report from yesterday about Rocky Raccoon. It is quite a story.
It was another trying day at the Lift Bridge. I don’t know how we would have handled any more than 2 juveniles. 3 sets of eyes are just not enough to keep up with them. I couldn’t begin to write a whole report for the day so this is just a recap.
When Bill and I arrived at the Bridge this morning at 8am, Lady Nelson was nowhere to be found and the search began. No luck!! Several hours later, Mark just happened to look up at the Control Tower (on the Hamilton Bay side) and lo and behold, Missy had worked her way over to the edge and there she sat in full view. She spent the next couple of hours making her way around the Control Tower, ending up just over the walkway and the road. She was sitting right above a “Danger Sign” and she was most definitely in danger. A decision was made to rescue her before the next lift of the bridge. Well that didn’t work out too well. She took off out over the canal and tried to land on the Burlington Tower, missed, came around and tried to land on the Burlington Hydro Tower, missed and landed in the trees somewhere???
The search was on. Over the bridge, search the ground, search the trees, search the towers. If it wasn’t for the Red Wing Blackbirds and Baltimore Orioles dive bombing her we would never have found her.
At around 4:30pm Bill and I decided to take a break and go home for a bite to eat. When we got back around 6:30pm, Lady Nelson was no longer in the tree and was MIA. By this time, some backup had arrived and the search was on once again, over the bridge, etc. etc. etc.
An hour or so later, she was finally spotted by Robert Williams on the upper beam on the bay side of the Bridge. When we left at 9pm, that’s where she was. I don’t think that she had been fed all day. She must be one very hungry and tired bird.
While all this was going on with Lady Nelson, Lady Lamont was no angel either. She is flying well and holding her altitude, but the landings are still not very good. When we left this evening, she was sitting out in the open on one of the cable wires.
Even while all this searching was going on Mom and Dad continued to entertain us with their hunting skills. I have never seen anything like it. In all my years of falcon watching I have never seen a pigeon plucked out of the air. Well today I finally saw it. Mom and Dad working together, it’s quite a sight.
Keeping our fingers crossed that all will be well when we arrive in the morning. Photos to follow.
Posted on June 16, 2011 10:14 pm
