June 13, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Cathy Kerr Reports:
Lucie Kirchknopf reports:
Well, after her release 2 days ago, I have to say that BIP (white) was definitely the star of the show today and deserves to have all the photos! Aside from her amazing flying skills, she has successfully landed back on a ledge and, once again, displaced an adult to land on a letter!
FREEDOM (blue) finally fledged and ended up on the second condo where we didn’t see her for most of the day. It got to the point where I wondered if she was even there, but she finally appeared in the early evening as we breathed a sigh of relief that she was around! At the end of the evening, she surprised us all by flying onto the ledge where her siblings were and stayed there for the night.
As for STARLIGHT (yellow) and BULLET (red), they win the couch potato award and don’t deserve any honourable mention today lol, other than just looking cute.
By 9:00 pm, all was very quiet as the three siblings ended up together. My camera battery died before I could get that adorable photo. BIP stayed on the condo beam where I imagine she remained for the night.
I am totally blown away by the skills of these juvies .. landing on letters and flying onto the ledge and this just after a few flights! Looking forward to seeing more great flights from all of them.
Cheers, Lucie
Posted on June 24, 2022 3:13 pm
June 14, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Got a call today from Bloor Islington Place one of the fledglings was seen on the roof top of the center building and had been there for some time. I let Bruce know where he was and later in the afternoon he still had not jumped up the the retaining wall. Because it was so hot today in the sun Bruce decided to go up and catch him up and hold him over int the Security area in the air conditioning and release him tonight on the nest building. Tracy came out to do the release it was Bullet and he was napping and gave her a real hard time about disturbing his sleep. He refused to get out of the carrier on the roof on his own and she had to reach in grab him and haul his little feathered butt out. It was dark and he did not fly so all went well so hopefully the watchers will see him there on the retaining wall in the morning.
Posted on June 14, 2022 11:17 pm
June 11, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Etobicoke Bloor & Islington nest:
June 11th - 2022
Arrived at Bloor & Islington nest site by 8:30 PM after a crazy day picking up rescued chicks from other sites and doing two other releases, it was Bip’s turn (White Tape) to go back to the roof and to mom and dad’s care. We met the fledge watch team in the streets on Eagle road, (Bruce, Lucie, and Erica who were on-site at this time) and went over the release plan.
Mark guided Lucie up to the rooftop to release Bip just as darkness was closing in. This was the third time Lucie had a chance to experience the release routine at Bloor and Islington and she was eager to go through the process again. The resident adult female was sitting up on the upper rooftop retaining wall of the nest building but because she was so quiet and everything went so well during the last release at this site, Mark felt all would be fine to proceed again with this fledgling’s release.
The release of Bullet (Red tape) the evening before went quite well despite the fact that the resident adult female was roosting quietly on in the same spot on the upper roof retaining wall. She watched Mark come up through the roof access hatch, walk across the roof, and release Bullet in the old overturned swing stage motor housing cage that we have used for several years with great success. This open-ended cage allows us to release the fledgling in a very controlled procedure that contains the fledgling long enough and prevents it from bolting out and off the roof while allowing us the time to exit the rooftop. We couldn’t have designed a better device for a release!
(It’s like utilizing our typical rescue carriers (with the door removed once we get to the roof) and simply leaving the carrier on the roof with the bird inside. This method allows us to safely depart the roof area without scaring the fledgling into a panic flight. This is a time-tested method that we have used by the CPF for many years to safely releasing a fledgling back to a roof, one that contains the bird in the carrier long enough for us to exit the rooftop and allows the bird to exit the carrier on their own time. We later go back to the rooftop when it’s safe to retrieve the carrier, sometimes days later). Yet another reason why we have several rescue carriers at each nest site, and why everyone that is mobile has their own rescue carrier in the car.
Well, I guess one person on the roof didn’t upset the adult female last evening but it was quite evident that two people on the roof were more than she was willing to tolerate. Despite the darkness, mom took flight and dove and stooped on them and screamed at them until they exited the roof through the roof hatch. From the street, we could see that Bip immediately had jumped up onto the rooftop retaining wall ledge beside mom and began to beg for food. A successful release without incident!
We stayed in the street and watched until 10:00 PM just to make sure that Bip didn’t attempt to make another flight and all was quiet, chicks in bed for the night and Bip was still in the same spot atop of the retaining wall just above the Flipp sigh.
Posted on June 12, 2022 10:03 am
June 11, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Rob was out early and found Bip by the fountain off Aberfoyle, east Condo and caught him up. He seems fins and in in the carrier waiting for release.
Posted on June 11, 2022 8:53 am
June 10, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
Etob. Nest site - Bloor & Islington
June 10th - 2022
Afternoon and Evening report:
Another good day on the fledge watch. By the time I arrived out at the Bloor and Islington fledge watch after completing a successful banding this morning at the Don Mills nest site, all four Bloor and Islington juveniles were observed on the nest ledge. Bruce gave me an update of the mornings events that the little male named “Bullet” (Red tape) had already taken several flights out from the nest ledge and successfully returned back to the nest ledge. Apparently Lucie and Bruce had quite a show!
The afternoon and early evening was once again like watching paint dry with not much happening on the nest ledge. Several feedings (beak to beak) and two food drops took place.
Once again just when we all thought that the evening might be quiet, at 8:10pm “Bullet” burst off the nest ledge and took flight. This time although, despite his best efforts, (and five flights later) after clinging on the wall face of the Kingsway Condo tower about half way up the building, then his second flight had him ending up clinging on the glass dividers half way up the nest building face, then yet another flight over to the rooftop of the Bell bell building where he did finally land for a short breather, and then the 4th flight back over to the nest building unable to gain much altitude and a long way down from the nest ledge he made yet another attempt to gain some altitude to reach the nest ledge.
Unfortunately yet again he lost more altitude and ended up once again clinging onto the window dividers about a third of the way up the glass wall of the nest building. After several minutes of clinging (on the glass wall face much like a bat clinging on a wall) he finally had to let go and was air borne once again, (his 5th and final flight). He ended up flying around the side of the nest building in-between the nest building and the centre tower, eventually loosing his altitude and ended up on the mezzanine level between the two office towers.
While not in any imamate danger at this level as its still two floors above the ground level, it overlooks Bloor street, and it has been our experience over the past 25 years that every downed fledgling over the years that has ended up on this elevation eventually ends up down on the street level and most often than not, on Bloor Street in the middle of the busy road way and the traffic.
With reports from both Bruce and Rob having both seen several raccoons on this elevation during this watch, it was decided to capture him up and get him back to the upper roof area of the nest building (east tower roof above the nest ledge), and back to his parents care (and far out of reach of the raccoons)!
With a successful release under the cover of darkness, I was finally able to pack up and head home by 10pm.
Posted on June 11, 2022 3:06 am
June 10, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Rob went out to the watch this morning very early and found all 4 chicks on the nest and 2 adults on the flip sigh.
Posted on June 10, 2022 8:18 am
June 09, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Mark Nash Reports:
Bloor & Islington
June 9th - 2022
2 Fledged!
Just when we thought it was going to be a very long fledge watch, things changed in a second!!
After a very long boring pretty uneventful day here in Etobicoke at the Bloor & Islington nest site, (kinda like watching paint dry), Bruce and I hads resolved ourselves to another no-fledge day. With the four chicks having been fed several times throughout the day and everyone (including the adult parents) seemed to have settled down with little activity happening on the nest ledge we were talking about the heavy overcast and rain clouds that were quickly moving in. The sun had long since disappeared and it was threatening rain,, the unexpected happened!
At 8:15 pm, two of the four chicks left the nest ledge with absolutely no warning! One after another only minutes apart!
Both of them quickly disappeared from our view as they flew around the back side of the nest building and the Kingsways condo tower! Sadly, after an extensive search, neither of the two fledglings were located!
Then it started to rain!
By 9:50 pm and now in total darkness, we were forced to abandon our search efforts.
Unfortunately, I had already packed up the spotting scope and tripod so we have no idea which two fledged.
Fingers crossed that we will be able to locate them tomorrow!
Posted on June 10, 2022 4:24 am
June 09, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Bullet, Bip and Freedom in camera view Starlight seems to like to hang out under camera out of it view. Lest overs from breakfast beside nest tray.
Posted on June 9, 2022 10:53 am
June 08, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
All quiet on fledge watch at Bloor Islington Place. There was some flapping of wings but for the most part the chicks were quiet until mom brought in food again at 6:30. By 7:30 the kids looked like they were getting ready for bed glad since it was supposed to rain.
Posted on June 8, 2022 11:02 pm
June 08, 2022 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Marion Nash Reports:
Lunch served.
Posted on June 8, 2022 11:46 am
