May 01, 2014 - Niagara Falls
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I was sent a link back in early April by Chad Steele to a series of photos he had taken from Terrapin Point of activity around the OPG Powerhouse at Table Rock in Niagara Falls. It looks like Diamond and Onyx have once again chosen to nest in an old window well behind the pink board which would provide them with a bit more protection from the spray from the Falls. Both adults were still visible at the same time around April 7th and the picture of Diamond looks as though she might have been carrying a little extra weight!
Thank you so much Chad for sharing this with us. We are so pleased to see that the pair continue to do well!! All photos are by Chad Steele from his visits on April 7th and 8th to Terrapin Point.
Posted on May 1, 2014 12:22 pm
January 29, 2014 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
January 29th - 2014
Hi Mark
Just a quick note to say hello and let you know that our birds are still hanging out at the Niagara Falls site. One of my coworkers was out at the falls on Friday (1/24) and saw an adult fly overhead with prey. It flew down to the OPG building. Below the falls was almost completely frozen, but the area above is open and lots of gulls and waterfowl have congregated there, so plenty of food. Thought it was cool to get a winter report from this site. These two are usually kind of aloof in the winter.
Hope you are staying warm!
- Jacquie
Posted on February 4, 2014 9:56 am
July 11, 2013 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
July 11th - 2013
A huge thank you to Jacques for sending in some of his photos of the peregrines from his visit to Niagara falls last week. While we can’t identify any of the fledglings via a band identification as the Niagara Parks commission would not allow access this year to band the young hatchlings and check their health, it would appear that at least three of the four hatchlings are still going strong and very visible. Despite the fact that they are now flighted, they are still very much dependant on their adult parents for both food and protection, (in addition to many life skills that their parents need to teach them) until they are able to actually catch their own food.
Jacques writes:
Hi CPF
I photographed 4 peregrines on the old OPG powerhouse roof on July 11; I think they are all juveniles, but not 100% sure. One adult was perched on a dead branch on the rock wall below the walkway facing these 4. I could therefore see 5 peregrines at one time from one location.
I have also attached several close-up photos of the adult and juvenile also taken on July 11th. Best regards.
Jacques Bouvier
St-Isidore near Ottawa ON
Posted on July 19, 2013 11:08 am
June 30, 2013 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
Sunday June 30th - 2013
A huge thank you to Wilson for sending us his observation from Sunday of the Niagara falls juveniles. It would appear that all four fledglings have survived and so far have over the worst of the fledge period!!
This is great news indeed!!!
Sadly, the Canadian Niagara Parks Commission would not allow access this year to band the young peregrines (sighting safety concerns that the OPG power house roof would cave in under a humans weight)??, we will have no record to reliably track or monitor them without band identification, but as long as they are still visible before their dispersal or migration in the fall, you should be able to at least watch the young fledglings development over the next few months.
Report from Wilson for Sunday.
No more than 10 minutes after my arrival at the Falls on the Canadian side, one of the adult birds came flying by. One bird flew right toward the rock face disappearing just below me. Not long after I noticed small white pieces of feather drifting up and over the railings where I stood. One blood stained feather landed no more than 4 feet from me. As the minutes passed, larger feathers started to float up and past the boardwalk railings. It was frustrating to not be able to see the bird.
All 4 juveniles were perched on top of a roof on top of the OPG roof. They each staked out a corner of the small roof. One other bird which I could not make out if it was an adult (sadly no binoculars) was perched nearby. Earlier a peregrine had flown directly over a cat that was crossing the road next to the OPG building. The cat disappeared into the bush.
Wilson Hum
Posted on July 1, 2013 12:08 pm
June 24, 2013 - Niagara Falls
Mark Nash Reports:
June 24th - 2013
A huge thank you to Jacquie from Buffalo USA and our great friends from the south who have been doing their best keeping a close eye on the young hatchlings at the Niagara falls nest site.
Jacquie writes:
Hi Mark,
Sorry we got cut off earlier! I wasn’t able to get you back to you after being cut off, cell service can be very frustrating at the best of times!!. I just wanted to send you a quick note and update in case you get a chance to check your email tonight. Here are some photos of the little guy that fell today after slipping off the window ledge while on one of his maiden flights trying to get back to the nest ledge.
Four of the young hatchlings can officially now be called fledglings, as all of the young have taken their first flights and left the nest ledge. While three of the four appear to have successfully made it to the upper roof top of the old power house, one has not been so lucky and has lost altitude and now much lower, dangerously close to the water down at the base in front of the power house very visible from our side.
I have attached some of todays photos that can give you an idea of where he is currently located.
Good luck!
Jacquie
Posted on June 25, 2013 7:28 am
June 19, 2013 - Niagara Falls
Mark Nash Reports:
June 19th - 2013
Hi Mark
I was at the Falls today and got a good look at the four little juveniles in the window nest. It looked like two females, one male, and possibly another male. The adult male, Onyx, flew in briefly and perched on the OPG building, but didn’t go to the nest. He took off hunting again over by the casino. A few minutes later one of the little males hopped onto the window ledge, and then one of his sisters followed. There was a lot of wing flapping happening in the box and on the ledge. Then before I left, everyone had hopped back into the box to rest in the shade. I included some pictures, but they are not the greatest quality due to being digiscoped over such a long distance.
- Jacquie
Posted on June 19, 2013 11:44 pm
June 06, 2013 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
June 6th - 2013Hi Again,
It’s really too bad you guys can’t get access to the building this year, because it looks like we were bang on with our hatch-date estimate of May 14. I saw four chicks in the nest window today that looked to be about 24-25 days old. Tomorrow would have been a perfect banding date. It’s hard to see in the photos, but at one point all four heads were poking up out of the big pile of white fluff. The female was perched on the broken window frame in front of the nest and the male was sitting on top of the building on the north (down-river) side.
I’m sure you guys are kept ultra-busy banding all those other babies up there! I hope you’re having a good season so far.
Cheers,
Jacquie
Posted on June 14, 2013 1:38 pm
June 03, 2013 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
June 3rd - 2013
We have received news today from OMNR that the Niagara parks commission has refused to allow access to the old OPG powerhouse roof that is needed to proceed with the banding of the young peregrine hatchlings, sighting health and safety concerns ??????????
Sadly, banding will not take place this year.
I guess we should have asked Nik Wallenda and turned the banding into a promotional money making stunt?
Posted on June 14, 2013 1:24 pm
May 13, 2013 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
May 13th - 2013
A huge thank you to Jacquie and the entire USA team, as the Niagara Falls peregrines have not made locating their nest spot this year easy at all!
Jacquie writes: May 13th - 2013
Hi Guys,
I was at the Falls again today and saw tail feathers sticking out from behind that pink board again (photo attached) as soon as I arrived at 12:50. At 1:06 I saw the feathers move as the bird shifted positions. At 1:10 the male flew in and landed in the right side of the window box while the female came out from behind the pink board and flew off. He went behind the board and took over incubation duties. He didn’t have anything in his talons and I didn’t see any sign of him feeding chicks. When I left at 3pm, he was still on the nest and she had not returned yet.
I will get out my notes tomorrow and put together a timeline of observations and maybe we can figure out an incubation start date.
- Jacquie
Posted on May 14, 2013 7:05 pm
May 03, 2013 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:
May 3rd - 2013
Despite the efforts of many on both sides of the border, the resident Niagara falls peregrines have both eluded and confused us all, (in addition to the frustration experienced from all as to just where they are actually nesting this season)!
A huge thank you to Jacquie who has been able to identify the actual nest site! While it still remains on the old OPG powerhouse wall on the Canadian side of the Niagara gorge, the peregrines have really been sneaky this year and given us all a run for the money in an effort to locate the nest site. For some unknown reason, the resident grins have decided not to nest in the same spot as in previous years. Although they have been successful in producing offspring over the past few years in this old nesting spot, they have obviously decided to change locations.
Jacquie writes:
Hi folks,
I just wanted to send you an update on the falcons at the Falls. They did not use the nest cavity this year, and for the past couple of weeks we have been trying to figure out where they are nesting. When I was there on April 30 I was pretty sure I saw the tail feathers and wingtips of an incubating falcon poking out from behind a pink board in one of the boarded up windows on the old power building, but I couldn’t be sure. I was there again on May 3 and saw the same thing, but again I wasn’t sure if it was a bird, or shadows, or some debris in the window. I had not seen any adults going into or out of that window, so I was doubting myself. However, today when I was there I saw the tail feathers again poking out from behind the pink board, and then I saw the female (I am assuming it was the female) get up and reposition herself before going back behind the board.
They were sneaky this year! But I finally confirmed my suspicions about that window. She did spend a lot of time there her first year before she chose that other window closer to where you guys installed the nest box. And they used it as a prey cache last year. I have attached photos of the window location so you can see where I am talking about. Now all we have to do is figure out when incubation began. I think the earliest report I have is Tracy Simpson’s observations from April 21, when she thought they were possibly incubating somewhere on the OPG building. But I also have reports of only one adult seen perched on the building a few times during the first week in April. So I am not sure how accurately we can estimate a hatch date. Probably the best we can do is get some watchers there to look for evidence of chick-feeding.
I’ll let you know if I have anything further to report. I hope all is well on your side! Happy falcon season!
- Jacquie Walters
Posted on May 8, 2013 7:42 pm
