September 05, 2018 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Marion Nash Reports:
I know you have all missed keeping track of your local peregrine families but there is good news.
We now have someone to help with the web site and can post all the latest news.
Here is a quick summery of the 2018 nesting season, banding events and fledge watch. If you notice that I have not posted any information about the Bloor and Islington nest site it is because the nest failed this year. O’Connor the adult female has been replaced by a new female who although did lay eggs they did failed to hatch. We are not sure if O’Connor was killed by the new female in a territorial battle or if she has moved to an as of yet unknown location, hopefully the later is true.
Fledge Watch
although the fledge watchers were kept very busy by the fledglings and preformed many rescues we are happy to say that of the 41 chicks banded this season there were only 4 lost and 1 injured.
1 of the chicks lost produced at the Burlington Bridge nest was very sick with Trichominiasis a protozoan infection too advanced to save and who passed during extraction from nest.
The Second loss was Gigi from the Mississauga MEC nest site who unfortunately hit a window and died on impact.
The 3rd was Sun from the Toronto Downtown Sheraton Hotel nest who had gone missing for over a week and although our watchers made a tremendous effort to find him they began to expect by the end of the week that he passed. Unfortunately he was later found dehydrated and starving he was taken into rehab but passed same day.
I also got a report yesterday that one of the fledglings from 220 Duncan Mill Rd. Was found over the September long weekend in Hamilton with an injured wing. It turns out it is Loki identified by his band number X over 85. x-rays have been taken and shows a broken wrist so we are waiting on a report from the vet to see if this break is operable.
One other injury happened this year to the Adult male Lucifer in Kitchener at the CTV nest site and has been in rehab. Lucifer had a broken with that was operated on and he is now in flight pen to work the wing, His mate Mystery managed to keep her 4 chicks fed and protected but this is where the 4th loss comes in one of the chicks hopped off the nest box onto the tower where he spent a day or 2 and disappeared he was never found on the ground so we assume he was grabbed by and owl during the night. Hopefully all goes well for Lucifer and he will be released back to his mate soon.
Banding Events 2018
We are looking for funding to buy bands for next year as the Federal government is not longer supplying them to the Provinces and the Province of Ontario did not budget for them. If you are interested in supporting the banding program and help protect our Ontario produced falcon chicks please kindy make a donation to The Canadian Peregrine Foundation. You can send a cheque to the foundation at 25 Crouse Rd. Suite 20 Toronto, Ontario M1R 5P8 or go on line and click our donation button on the front page of the web site at www.peregrine-foundation.ca Canada Helps.
This year there were several unhatched eggs and most of the chicks hatched were male. The weights at banding age for most of the chicks was also low compared to pervious years.
May 22nd 2018
Mississauga MEC
Female-GIGI
band Z21
William Osler Hospital
Male-Indy
band X14
May 23rd 2018
Windsor Ambassador Bridge
Male-Hermes
band Y59
May 24th 2018
Hamilton Sheraton Hotel
Male-Lawrence
band
Y50
Male-Ainslie
band Y51
Male-Gage
band Y52
Male-Lisgar
band Y60
May 25th 2018
Oshawa Lakeridge Hospital
Female-Ripley
band Z22
Burlington Lift Bridge
Male-Cooper
band Y61
Male-Jackson
band X13
May 29th 2018
220 Duncan Mill Rd.
Male- Thor
band X83
Male-TT
band X84
Male- Loki
band X85
Male- Velcro
band X87
June 5th 2018
Canada Square
Male-Petrus
band X95
Male-Bart
band X97
Male-Ricklin
band R14
June 5th 2018
Rogers Centre
Female-Diamond
band Z23
Male-Grand Slam
Band Z24
Male-Homer
Band X94
June 5th 2018
Toronto Downtown Sheraton Hotel
Male- Geoff
Band X15
Male-Sheraton
Band X92
Male-Sun
Band X93
June 6th
OPG Pickering
Female- Millidarry
Band Z25
Female-Candu
Band Z26
Male- Chadwick
Band R15
Male-Cobalt
Band Z27
June 6th 2018
Scarborough Yellow Pages
Male-Alfa
Band R16
Female-Sierra
Band Z67
June 8th 2018
ADM Mills Port Colborne
Female- Mongolia
Band Z59
Male-Brandon
Band X03
Male- Macaroon
Band X07
female-Red Velvet
Band Z63
June 20th
Mount Sinai Hospital
Male-Chase ( banded when rescued during fledge)
Band X05
2 other chicks not banded ( believed to be male)
June 27th 2018
Don Mills Amazon
Male-Professor X
Band X04
Female- Chalaza
Band- Z38
June 28th 2018
Kitchener CATV Tower
Female-Eos
Band Z39
Female- Sadie
Band Z40
Male-Monarch
Band X12
Male-Mercury
Band W92
There were also 2 Quarry sites that produced chicks as did the Mississauga CRH Cement plant but due to bad logistics this year we were unable to get the age of the chicks in time to band. Hopefully we will get the information a bit quicker next year and if we are able to raise the funds needed to continue to band your chicks.
I will post some photos soon
Posted on September 5, 2018 5:01 pm
June 17, 2017 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Marion Nash Reports:
June 11th 2017
William Osler brief update. Two boys fledged today. Romeo flew and landed on the window ledge and after another flight made it back to the nest ledge. Shadow took flight and landed on the same ledge that Romeo had just left minutes before. Another flight took shadow to the rooftop. One more flight was had by Shadow that landed him on the giant construction crane. Willow and Echo remain unfledged.
June 12th 2017
William Osler brief update. This morning when I arrived it was controlled chaos at the site. Two of the boys were flying around all over the place and landing in areas that made me frankly quite nervous. All I can say is that both boys made long flights landed decently and are in positions where we can clearly watch them. At this point we are counting heads and not looking at tape colours as they won’t sit still long enough. What I can say for certain is this, all three of the boys have now fledged. One is on the roof retaining wall, one is on the crane and the third is sitting on the roof on top of the pipe. Willow, who we have nicknamed Willow the pillow, is sleeping on the north side of the hospital tucked up against the pillar.
Posted on June 17, 2017 11:33 am
May 26, 2017 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Marion Nash Reports:
May26th 2017
1 girl and 3 boys for 2017. All healthy.
Female named Will-O banded S 70 with red tape
Male named Romeo banded Y 33 white tape
Male named Shadow banded Y 31 Blue tape
Male named Echo banded Y 32 green tape.
Posted on June 2, 2017 9:16 am
May 26, 2017 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Marion Nash Reports:
May 26th 2017
Thanks to the great team at security for keeping an eye on the on the camera monitor and watching for hatch and sending us updates and for their assistance today we were able to once again get the chicks banded without any problems and this years brood are all very healthy and very good weights.
Chick 1 female named Will-O named for William Osler band S 70 with red tape
Chick 2 Male named Romeo named for security call sign band Y 33 white tape
Chick 3 Male named Shadow named by Security band Y 31 blue tape
chick 4 Male named Echo named for security call sing band Y 32 Green tape
The oldest chick is 23 days old so we expect the first flights in about 10 to 14 days. Stay tuned for reports on their antics.
Posted on May 27, 2017 11:59 am
May 01, 2017 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Marion Nash Reports:
May 1at 2017
Banding day has been set for May 26th at 9:30
Posted on May 1, 2017 4:36 pm
March 12, 2017 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Marion Nash Reports:
2 eggs were seen in nest Monday believed to have been laid this past weekend.
Posted on March 31, 2017 12:21 pm
June 15, 2016 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
After what I had seen last night, when I started the watch this morning there was no concern on my part for the safety of our young fledglings. Even though yesterday was their first day of flying, they showed skill in manoeuvring as well as an ability to make good choices when things didn’t work out as they had planned. The continuation of the watch at this point is to ensure good landings, safe flights and that the family dynamic is a positive one. With Casper playing very little to no role at this stage of the chicks development there is a small amount of concern regarding Chessie’s ability to keep up. And so the watch continues.
When I pulled in and parked my car I found Chessie and Casper up on the north east corner of the hospital and although the young were not in sight I knew they were on the roof. Chessie was supervising the fledglings self feeding while Casper sat a few feet away looking for an opportunity for a meal. Casper has regularly been taking opportunities to avail himself of stashes and pick up leftovers for a meal rather than hunt on his own. Since the watch began I have yet to see him actually bring in food for this family. This is not a case of bad parenting but I believe instead a case of Casper continuing to recover from the injury that I can clearly see on the back of his head and possibly other injuries that are not visible to me. After the fledglings had finished eating, Chessie flew over to the tower for a rest while Casper flew up to the south H sign. At this point the entire family took time to rest for over an hour. Just after 10am Chessie went off on another hunt to the north east. It wasn’t long before she came back with a pigeon and carried it up to one of the antennas on the roof of the hospital perching herself just above the fledglings location. She plucked her kill vigourously for about 10 minutes and then fell asleep. Really? Asleep? I couldn’t believe my eyes. After about two minutes of snoozing, Chessie awoke and began plucking again. It wasn’t long before she drifted off once more. This had me a little concerned as this is certainly not the time for napping. Was she getting enough food for herself? Was she so busy with the young that she was not getting enough rest? I decided to keep a closer eye and pay greater attention to her today as much as I was the fledglings. She finished plucking her prey, flew out over the parking lot with it and back up to the corner where the kids were awaiting her arrival. She did a touch and go anticipating one of them to follow her but they both stayed put. She made a second attempt to lure one off into the air but they wouldn’t budge. She flew over to the tower with her prey and landed on the top with it. Casper followed her up to the tower and landed a few feet away whining and begging for a taste. Chessie once again fell asleep with the prey firmly in her grasp. She was abruptly awakened when Casper leaned forward and attempted to grab the food right out from under her foot. That was not welcome gesture. She flew over to the hospital to the north east corner and beak fed Ramses and Sahara. Once done, Chessie flew back to the tower and the entire family slept for the next two hours.
At 1 o’clock, Casper took off and disappeared to the west. About 10 minutes later I saw him reappear on the north side of the hospital and for the first time since I started the watch I saw he had food in his foot. He struggled with the rather large package that he brought home as he carried it up to the ledge on the north side. Chessie quickly flew over to see what he had brought home and I raced over towards the north parking lot to try and catch the interaction. By the time I arrived in a good spot for viewing, Casper was already in the air and making his way towards the tower leaving Chessie on the ledge on her own. Casper must’ve stashed the food up against the pillar on the ledge and Chessie made no move to retrieve it. She flew off of the ledge over to the tower and was not carrying anything with her. After about 10 minutes, Chessie left on a hunt of her own out to the west. She returned with a rather large pigeon that she took over to the tower for some prep and then back over to the hospital to the young ones. This was their third meal on the day of which two were rather large. It was a reassuring sight to see that they were receiving all of the food that they needed in order to power their flights. Yet in all three of the feedings that I witnessed, Chessie had only taken a few bites for herself. It would appear as though she was not eating very much but rather giving the lions share to her kids. After this third big meal, back to bed went the family and Bruce took over the watch for me. I gave Bruce points of focus to watch for as there was no need for concern that a fledgling was coming down to be rescued. Instead I had him monitor feeding times and sizes, who the food is being delivered to and whether Chessie was eating any for her self. By 430, the kids had woken up and it was time to burn off some of that stored up energy. Lots of epic flights followed and at one point there was a flight of the full family, all four birds together, that was witnessed by Bruce. They were very few breaks in between the flight sessions of the kids and Chessie was monitoring it all herself. No wonder she’s so tuckered out. By the end of Bruce’s watch he was able to confirm that Chessie had enjoyed a nice meal for herself, a third pigeon was brought in for late snack and that Chessie bore a visible crop indicating that she was taking care of herself. I will be back out once again tomorrow to check in on the family’s progress and ensure that all is going well. Given that Casper hunted for the first time today during this entire watch period and brought home a sizeable meal, it would seem that he is starting to feel much better and beginning to participate more in the family dynamic.
Posted on June 15, 2016 10:17 am
June 14, 2016 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I arrived at the William Osler nest site just after dawn and found that Ramses had already taken his first flight. He had landed smartly in the hydro tower but was in a precarious position as he was on a diagonal beam. Casper flew into the nest tray and woke Chessie up as the sun was beginning to rise. She immediately went on a hunt and came back with a fresh kill that she stashed on the north side. Moments after she returned Sahara wound up and took her first flight. She flew out and over the parking lot and tried to circle back to the nest ledge but the winds were not helping her this morning. She banked once again and turned towards the hydro tower, flew up and landed neatly in the tower not very far from where her brother sat. Neither chick was rewarded with food after their flights. Ramses was the first to fly next and made his way back towards the nest building. He headed straight towards the east side, banked around to the south and landed on the retaining wall of the roof without any problems. He jumped down onto the roof and that is where he spent the next few hours napping out of my sight.
The second flight for Sahara was a long one. She attempted to fly back to the nest building and was too low for the ledge. She circled south over the parking lot and headed back to try again. Still too low, she tried to circle out towards the north. That didn’t work out either. She finally flew back to the hydro tower where she landed on the lowest level. Ramses continue to nap on the nest building roof when Sahara took her third flight. This flight, again a long one, had her making several circles out over the parking lot and she finally ran out of steam. She headed towards the low Medical Centre roof where she landed safely and spent the rest of the morning roaming the rooftop. She wasn’t alone though as all of the resident robins and goldfinches came out to greet her as she sat preening on the edge of the roof.
One thing became very clear after this mornings round of activity and that was that Chessie was pretty much on her own. Even though Casper was around, he wasn’t involved in anything. Chessie was doing all of the hunting, escorting, defending and providing for the chicks. When Casper was on site, he spent almost all of his time in the nest tray sleeping or on the southern H sleeping. He was very inactive throughout the day and on two occasions disappeared for over an hour. Could this be due to his injury? It is unclear at this time. One thing is for sure though, he is not participating and appears to not be invested in these young birds success at this time. Whether he is still in recovery from his fight I can’t say but he is flying very well.
By 11 o’clock Ramses received a feeding on the nest building roof and that sparked a new round of activity. He took a flight out over the parking lot and circled back to the hydro tower where he landed and stayed, albeit briefly. He quickly flew back-and-forth between the nest building and the tower which garnered him yet another food reward. Up to this point, Sahara had yet to receive her first taste of anything. Sahara finally tired of the low Medical Centre roof and made a huge flight out over all three parking lots that ended up with her landing in the tower. This was a fantastic flight with an excellent landing. Even so, this wasn’t the best place for a nap. She made her sixth flight over towards the nest building and with a little help from Chessie she nudged her way in to the nest ledge. She was home. This sparked a nap time that lasted for both fledglings until around 5 PM when things got really crazy. Ramses started making flights everywhere. He was driving me crazy because he kept landing on the edge of the chimney right at the top. While the chimney is not active, there still is a danger present for landing on that open topped chimney. Thankfully Sahara began to fly as well to the tower and back and that took Ramses’s attention away from the chimney. Both fledglings eventually ended up on the roof of the nest building and had a great reunion. The flights by both of the fledglings continued throughout the evening hours and it was seeming to go on nonstop. By 8:30 PM both of the fledglings had made it back to the nest ledge and had each chosen a pillar to flop down against. By 8:45 both of the fledgelings were out cold having spent all of their energy in the last hour of the day flying back-and-forth from the tower to the roof and back to the nest ledge. Chessie did not provide a bedtime feeding for these two so I expect that there will be a big breakfast arriving first thing in the morning. I will be back early to check in on their progress and continue the watch for this family. A few photos from the day will be posted later.
Posted on June 14, 2016 7:55 am
June 13, 2016 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I opened the watch today and all was quiet on the ledge at first. The kids were just waking up and getting animated and Chessie was in the tower watching. Casper was on the southern H keeping vigil there. All seemed to be nice and calm when Ramses had other plans. At around 9am he took to the air running. Seriously folks, he was running down the ledge, got airborne and forgot to stop his feet from running! He flew out over the south employee parking lot maintaining his height and headed back for home. He was one floor short of the nest ledge and so he swung out around the east parking lot. This time he was starting to drop height as he was tuckering out pretty quick. He tried for the nest ledge on the east side but was only half way up. He flumped into the wall and fluttered down to the ground. I was so not ready for a rescue but I ran over to where he stood. Chessie was stooping me (not terribly close but enough to say get lost) and in one grab I had him in my hands. I cradled him in my hand and tucked him against me with his tail sort of under my arm and marched him into security to get the rescue carrier. Uh oh. Security was on patrol. Ok. I’m sure I have something in my car. I found a bankers box full of stuff that I needed to take out and Ramses watched as each item came out in turn. The box now empty I just needed to find the lid. Oh no. No lid. Ok. I have a thick towel. I draped that overtop and headed back into security where I met up with one of the guards. We were able to transfer him over into the rescue carrier and all was well. Ramses was so furious at me for our little walkabout all gathered and tucked that when he went into the carrier he wanted back out to get a piece of me! He was in fine shape and has his mother’s attitude.
Back outside Chessie was somewhat upset. She kept stooping and hovering over the last place she saw him and finally landed on the light post closest to his last location. She stayed there for almost 15 minutes and then finally returned to the tower. She kept checking the area for him for the next hour and then took some rest. Sahara on the other hand was bee bopping all over the ledge. She was testing her wings and building up strength. Bruce took over for me in the afternoon and until close saw much the same as I did. Sahara remained on the ledge but she was ready. Really ready. I came back at dusk and took Ramses back up to the roof for a release and he was quite ticked off. He looked great and so out the door we went. It took me about 5 minutes or so to find him a good spot out of the howling winds and then it was time. A flick open of the door and a hiss from little man and it was done. I will be back at dawn as Bruce has warned me that Sahara is beyond ready for first flights and Ramses is anxiously awaiting the daylight to return home. Some photos I took of Chessie today are attached.
Posted on June 13, 2016 11:52 pm
June 13, 2016 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Thank you to the great folks at William Osler who each year hold a naming contest for their feathered family. The names selected are always unique and creative and this year is no exception. Our female with red tape is named Sahara and the wee male with blue tape is Ramses. Excellent choices for these two amazing young birds!
Thanks again to William Osler for putting two delightful names to their wee faces.
Posted on June 13, 2016 10:44 pm
