affordwatches

!!! Great Day in London; Resident Male Identified!!

May 03, 2012 - London - TD Tower

Tracy Simpson Reports:

Today Frank and I were out in London visiting the resident pair and delivering Project School Visit to two great schools.  After our first school, we made our way down to Wellington St. where we could see the female sitting on the edge of the nest tray.  Once we got into position on Wellington, we noticed that the female had left our sight and the male was now on the ledge.  The male remained in full view giving us ample opportunity to see his band number in good light.  The male’s recovery band is solid black 16 over V and he is Dougal hatched in 2008 at the 18 King St E nest site.  Later in the afternoon, Frank witnessed a third peregrine entering the territory.  A subadult female had flown over towards the nest building and Dougal went out and met her in the air.  He stooped and contacted with her a few times and there was also a talon lock before he escorted her out of the area.  The entire time that the battle was going on, the resident female stayed on the tray out of sight.  With the interloper gone, Dougal returned and the pair spent the afternoon in and out of the nest ledge and taking time out to mate twice.  It was a rare moment to see the pair together as the tray was rarely left unattended.  We have yet to determine if there are any eggs in the tray and how many but that news will be coming very shortly.  We did get a few looks at the legs of the female and have confirmed our earlier observations that she has a Black over Red recovery band on her left leg and a silver USFW band on her right.  We will hopefully identify her shortly and finally put a name to a face!!


Dougal Female Female Female

!!! Mystique at the Fisher Building in Detroit, Michigan

April 30, 2012 - London - TD Tower

Tracy Simpson Reports:

Mystique was hatched at the London TD Tower nest site in London, Ontario in 2006  Too old to safely band as a nestling, it wasn’t until she fledged that she was officially banded and named when she came to the ground in need of rescuing.  She remained aloft after her initial ordeal and gained the flight skills necessary for migration under the watchful eye of her parents.  She showed up at the Wayne State University, just 1.5 miles south of the Fisher Building, in 2008 but it wasn’t until 2009 that she took over as resident female at the Fisher Building.  Mystique and her new partner were seen pair bonding but yet did not nest that year.  In 2010, the pair was again seen mating and bonding but no nesting attempt was found after an extensive search of the building ledges.  In 2011,  Mystique and her mate were still present but did not produce any young.  While it is unknown why the pair have yet to produce offspring, its is wonderful to note that they are still on site, holding the territory and working towards success.  Great news and a wonderful success for London peregrines!!  This is just one of the many amazing community and scientific benefits that result from the efforts made to band juvenile peregrines in Ontario and stories like these are what its all about!!  Our thanks go out to Barb Baldinger for the photo of Mystique and to the Michigan DNR for reading her recovery band and continuing to monitor her progress. 

Photo courtesy of Barb Baldinger with our thanks.


!!! London Pair Very Active at the Nest Tray!

April 20, 2012 - London - TD Tower

Tracy Simpson Reports:

To wrap up our Earth Week activities, Frank and I were out in London to visit with TD branch representatives and customers throughout the afternoon.  After a brief  interview on Rogers TV show Daytime, we made our way down to Dundas and Wellington to look for the London peregrines.  We were greeted immediately by the calls of the pair as they both flew into the ledge just beneath the TD sign on the west side of 380 Wellington.  The pair went immediately into the nest tray and began a conversation about the nesting season that lasted a good minute.  The male then flew out and around to the back side of the building while the female remained in the tray.  The male then returned and took up a position on the southernmost corner of the nest ledge and settled in for a nap.  Before we left to attend our branch visit, I was able to take several pictures that show the male is wearing a solid black recovery band indicating that he is a Canadian male. 

We had such an amazing time in London speaking with the local community about our School Visit program and their local peregrines that we lost track of time!  By late afternoon, we decided that we would head back once again to 380 Wellington for another look at the pair before we left for Toronto.  When we returned, the pair was not immediately in sight but after a few minutes, the female popped up out of the nest tray where she was lying down and sat on the edge of the tray to preen.  The winds had picked up at this point and photographs were harder to take but we did manage to get a shot showing that this female is wearing a black over red recovery band indicating that she is an American girl.   The pair were in and out of the ledge and more specifically the tray a great deal and were also sharing some tandem flight time above the tower.  This is very exciting news and we wish the pair well this nesting season!

I will be back in London in the coming weeks delivering our Project School Visit program and will have more news for you on the local peregrines progress in the nest tray.  We will also be making a serious effort to identify the pair for you.  Check back soon, the excitement has just begun!


!!! Territorial pair active on the nest ledge at the TD building!

March 13, 2012 - London - TD Tower

CPF Postmaster Reports:

March 13th-2012
Good Day All

Eric Cornelis here with a report that there is a pair of pergrines still hanging out at the TD towers (City Center) nesting site here in London Ontario. It’s March 13th at 4pm and I can’t see if they are making the nest more homie for some young ones?? Fingers are crossed that this pair get busy this summer.
Cheers
Eric Cornelis

!!! Good news from London Ontario

January 10, 2012 - London - TD Tower

CPF Postmaster Reports:

We have just received some interesting news from a falcon spotter in London Ontario that may spell some very good news regarding London peregrines. It would appear that two falcons have been spotted yet again in downtown London Ontario. Given the time of year, seeing two adult peregrines still hanging around together could spell a bonded pair holding down a territory. If they stay, we very well might see a nest in the making this spring. Fingers crosssed!

Ed writes:
Two adult falcons seen in London on King and Colborne. Flying between the buildings trying to confuse to pigeons for a little snack.
Ed Purcell

!!! New Pollutants Found In Peregrine Falcon Eggs

November 11, 2011 - London - TD Tower

Frank Butson Reports:

While poking around the internet,I found this article posted at e! Science News. So all will see it,it is being posted on each of our nestsite pages. This is too important to miss.

The original article can be seen here: http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/04/18/new.pollutants.detected.peregrine.falcon.eggs 

Here is what it says:
New pollutants detected in peregrine falcon eggs
Published: Monday, April 18, 2011 - 09:04 in Earth & Climate

Flame retardants are chemical compounds added to fabrics and plastics to keep them from burning easily, but these can be toxic. Now a team of researchers from Spain and Canada has detected some of these emerging pollutants for the first time in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs in both countries. “The presence of ‘dechlorane plus’ and other related, chlorinated compounds used as flame retardants have been detected for the first time in the European biota (flora and fauna of the region)”, explains Ethel Eljarrat, co-author of the study and scientist at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC, Spain).

The researchers have found these substances in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs in both Spain and Canada. The flame retardants are often added to textiles, electronic circuits and other products to inhibit or resist the spread of fire, but can be transferred to the environment.

In nature these compounds are “bioaccumulating and bioconcentrating” all along the food chain, as evidenced by the research published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal. The international research team for this study was led by Begoña Jiménez of the Institute of Organic Chemistry (CSIC, Spain), and Environment Canada researchers, Kim Fernie and Mehran Alaee.

Having received the relevant permits, eggs that had failed to hatch from various active falcon nests in Canada and Spain, were collected. The collection involved 13 eggs from Spain (five in Guadalajara – a territory representative of an inland habitat of the Iberian Peninsula - and eight in Bilbao - representing a coastal environment), and 12 eggs from Canada (Great Lakes Region and Eastern provinces).

The levels of some of the measured contaminants have been found to be somewhat higher in Bilbao than in Guadalajara, and the authors believe this may be due partially to the difference in the falcons’ diet: more aquatic in the former and more terrestrial in the latter. In fact, if fish is highly contaminated, peregrines would accumulate more of the harmful substances. While peregrine falcons do not eat fish, they prey upon other birds, some of which may eat fish.

Selecting the peregrine falcon was no accident. This species was endangered in many areas of the northern hemisphere due to the use of organochlorinated pesticides, particularly DDT, though when this was prohibited in the 1970s the populations recovered. Furthermore, falcons are at the top end of the food chain and accumulate substances carried by their prey.

Highest levels in the Canadian samples

The results reveal that the concentrations of ‘dechlorane plus’ and some of the other chlorinated halogens were “significantly higher” in the Canadian falcons’ eggs than in those of Spain. The reason for this could be that the industry that has manufactured these compounds for decades (although they are now also produced in China) is located in New York State close to the area where samples were collected. In addition, the use of these compounds has generally been higher in North America than Europe.

The researcher acknowledges that the effects that these flame retardants may have on the falcons’ eggs or on their development are still unknown, “but their detection is a first step”. These are emerging pollutants, which comprise both those which have appeared more recently and those that have been used for a long time but are just lately the subject of environmental interest.

Other flame retardants, including some brominated flame retardants, have already been confirmed as toxic endocrine disruptors, and their use has been prohibited in some of the commercial mixes in Europe and America. Furthermore, they are candidates for inclusion on a list of Persistent Organic Pollutants to be eliminated, a list compiled by the Stockholm Convention which includes other pollutants such as DDT or dioxins.

This study forms part of the doctoral thesis submitted this month by the researcher Paula Guerra from IDAEA on “The analysis of emerging halogenated flame retardants and their impact on the environment and on humans”. All of the eggs were analyzed by her during her exchange studies at Environment Canada.

A research group at IDAEA led by Damià Barceló has also confirmed the presence of these compounds in sediment and fish in the rivers of the Ebro basin (Spain). Source:FECYT-Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology

!!! Three Pefa’s Active on site!

September 12, 2011 - London - TD Tower

CPF Postmaster Reports:

Sept. 12th - 2011
Good Morning Again:
It’s Monday, September,12 2011 and on my morning rounds I spotted 3 Peregrines this morning. This maybe be a family reunion at the TD Towers before head south for the winter. Sorry still no binoculars so I can’t tell who is who>
Eric

!!! Renewed Peregrine Activity!

September 03, 2011 - London - TD Tower

CPF Postmaster Reports:

Sept. 3rd - 2011
Good Morning:
I work at the City Center/ TD Towers in London Ontario, so far this summer there has been a peregrine hanging around the tower all summer. Sadly I have only seen one all summer not like last year there was two.
Good news , I have seen two this morning(Saturday September 3, 2011) sitting close to the nest, now I believe it’s late in the season for mating. I thing is they may just be sizing each other up, I don’t have binoculars to see who is who. Well make sure I bring some to work on Sunday and with luck both will still be there. Will report back on Sunday if I find out anymore news.

Eric Cornelis

!!! Activity in London

April 07, 2011 - London - TD Tower

CPF Postmaster Reports:

We have finally received some updated news from London Ontario that reports peregrine activity on the TD building nest ledge. Fingers crossed that London may have a territorial pair again. Sounds like their may be nesting activity!

The author reports: Sighted a Peregrine falcon adult at the TD Canada Trust building at noon on April 7, circled and Landed on the ledge below the west facing sign. The pigeons were trying hard to disappear.

!!! While we have received no updates on the nesting activities of the London peregrines, there is still lots of peregrine activity!!

July 25, 2010 - London - TD Tower

CPF Postmaster Reports:

Hi…
I live on St. Bees Close in north London about a km north of University of Western Ontario.
This past Friday June 25, 2010 about 6 pm, a peregrine falcon (not sure of sex) was in the middle of the street, with a young starling in its talons and about 10 adult starlings standing and swooping down on it to try and get it to let the youngster go.
Quite a sight and very unexpected.
Jim Durham