affordwatches

!!! Hearn peregrines are back on their second clutch of eggs, starting over!

May 17, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Mark Nash Reports:

May 17th - 2013
A great day indeed in the field for me today with a very successful and very productive day gathering information at several other nest sites that were on my list to visit, combined with clear sunny conditions and allot of good luck, I finished off my day at the Hearn nest site to get an update on the Peter and his new mate.

I can confirm that they are back at it, with incubation duties being observed on their second clutch of eggs, starting over in another location.

It didn’t take me long to locate Peter, (the resident adult male) who was observed on several locations on the superstructure overlooking and guarding his territory, but I must admit it did take me some time to scan the entire superstructure with my binoculars to finally locate his mate, who appeared to be down on full time incubation duties, on a horizontal steel beam tucked in behind some of the white metal wall flashing.

Shortly after I located her, (and only able to see the end of her tail and wing tips that stuck out from behind the metal flashing), Peter did eventually fly in to relieve his mate for a very short period of time. The change-over, (or changing of the guard as we say), happen very quickly,, in only a few seconds as he disappeared in behind the metal flashing from my view. Moments later after hearing the pair squawking to one another, the female suddenly appeared from behind the white metal flashing and flew off out around the building and out of my view. The entire event was over in less than six seconds!!

Needless to say, it would appear that the pair maybe once again involved in incubation activities (now for their second time,, if not their third attempt).

Stay tuned, more to come…….


Angela and Peter at Hearn Still Active

May 10, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Bruce Massey Reports:

I stopped by this past Sunday to check up on Angela and Peter’s progress this nesting season.  With the first two attempts at incubating eggs not having worked out, the hope was that they might yet find the perfect spot to raise young this year.  When I arrived I had both adults on site and in view so it was clear from the outset that they were not incubating eggs.  Peter is still vigorously defending the territory and Angela is staying close to the site.  Even so, I cannot see at this time any ledge of interest or eggs being incubated.  I will continue to spot check down here and report in what they pair are up to.

Mating Continues at Hearn

April 28, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Bruce Massey Reports:

I was down to visit Peter and Angela on Sunday to check on their progress after they abandoned their nest last week.  I found both adults in view on the main building and often times using the platform up on the back of the stack to roost and preen.  Peter continues to mate with Angela but it is unclear whether they will have eggs and where.  I will continue to update you on the progress of Hearn this nesting season and we hope that they pair settle on a suitable ledge soon.

Second Attempt at Hearn Has Failed

April 23, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Bruce Massey Reports:

Peter and Angela have been working on a clutch of two eggs in the old nest ledge that was used last year and they have struggled over the past week to ensure that both eggs were under their protective care.  Of the two adults, it was Angela that was having the most difficulty arranging both eggs beneath her and often the egg closest to the edge of the ledge went uncovered outside of her wing.  Peter on the other hand was all over those eggs and worked for hours to finally get them both properly beneath him. 

With them having a challenging time positioning their eggs, I thought it would be prudent to head down and check on their progress and so I attended the site this past Sunday April 21st.  I found the nest cavity empty and both adults off site.  It wasn’t long after I arrived that the adults returned but neither of them entered the ledge to continue incubation.  I attempted to find the eggs with the spotting scope but the one closest to the edge was now clearly gone.  The one that was further back may have been present but I was not able to confirm its presence in the ledge.  What was clear without a doubt was that this clutch was not being attended to by either adult.  Peter was now showing an interest in another ledge to the left of the most recent scrape and managed to entice Angela to join him for a look.  He was his usual self in defence of the territory addressing two Red Tailed hawks, a Kestrel and a Cormorant.  I did witness the pair mating twice throughout my observation period indicating that they may not be done for the season quite yet but the bulk of the adults time was spent roosting and preening on the roof of the main building.  At the end of the day, Peter did make a spectacular attempt at a pigeon that was flying north towards the plant.  He made a direct flight out towards it and snatched the bird in mid-flight without missing a wing beat.  He attempted to carry his heavy load back to the main building but Angela met him out over the yard and tried for a transfer.  The pigeon was dropped and disappeared from my view and I don’t believe that it was recovered by either adult.

We certainly hope that Peter and Angela are able to sort out a good nesting location this year and settle in on a clutch this season.  Last year’s success has Peter rather excited to try and we will continue to monitor and update you on their progress. 

Peter and His Lady in the Old Nest Working Things Out

April 16, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Bruce Massey Reports:

Recently I reported that the nesting pair at the Hearn Generating Station were incubating at least one egg on the rooftop of the structure.  This report was supported by the photographs taken by Tracy Simpson and the observations of the female’s behaviour on the roof.  After the cold, slushy and wet weather moved through a week ago, the female has since abandoned her egg on the roof and Peter, the resident male, was able to convince her that the old nest ledge offered more cover and protection from the elements.

This past weekend, Tracy and I were back down to Hearn again to check up on their progress.  When we arrived, the female was in the old nest ledge and clearly incubating.  From both the scope view and photographs, we could see that there was one egg lying outside of her wing unprotected and at least one egg if not two underneath her.  She remained incubating for the first few hours of our observation period and made only a few feeble attempts to get the visible egg in underneath her.  She is very, very nervous about something in behind her and it is most likely a piece of metal or other object that is moving in the winds.  The entire time she was incubating, she was looking back into the ledge 75% of the time.  Peter…  …well he did what he does best, chased stuff!

Peter has matured into an incredible male and is so much like his father, Surge!!  He is a fearless defender of his realm and is doing an excellent job!  On Saturday, his “hit” list included two Red Tailed hawks and a Canada goose that tried to take him on!  All three birds escaped unscathed but not without learning a valuable lesson in territory.  Late in the afternoon, Peter arrived with much vocalization to the west of the nest ledge indicating that he brought lunch.  The female emerged from the nest ledge and Peter took over right away and pulled out all the stops to try and get the “front” egg closest to the edge underneath him.  It took him several tries but he was finally able to make the arrangement work and he finally had at least two eggs safely tucked away.  He lay there incubating and watching all the stuff he felt he should be chasing.  He would alarm call and chup for her to come back so that he could do just that but she wasn’t coming back until she was full, fluffed and folded!  She preened away on the top of the building for a good 30 minutes and then was off on a hunt to the north.  Just as we were about to leave, Peter couldn’t take it anymore and he was out and on the attack.  A Red Tailed hawk landed on a pole to the east of the nest and Peter didn’t dive at him…  …oh no… …he went straight at him!  This not only shocked us but the hawk as well.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one jump so high so fast!!  The female watched from her perch on the roof and Peter, once done, returned to the eggs as it was still his turn.

Tracy went down on Tuesday for a follow up visit and found no one in the ledge at all.  At first this was a little disquieting as she expected someone to at least be visible somewhere.  After 10 minutes, both Peter and the female returned to the nest site; Peter swooping up to the ledge and the female landing on the buildings to the west.  Peter sat above the eggs on the beam and called to her to take charge of their care.  She was reluctant to move and was quite happy to sit up top and roost.  Peter then entered the nest ledge and took over incubation for a brief period and then he was out and off…  …chasing stuff.  This time he was well up into some higher altitudes and was addressing another falcon!  Photographs taken reveal that this appeared to be a juvenile female ( now a subadult ) that was coming way too close for Peter’s comfort.  While he didn’t make an attempt to full on attack the female, he did escort her out of the airspace.  The female followed Peter and then flew out of view to the south before returning just a moment later to the nest ledge.  She entered and settled down on top of the scrape and once again, the “front” egg was outside of her wing.  Watching her turning in the scrape you could clearly see that there was some difficulty for her in moving around as there was a few things that were restricting her movement.  This may be why the ”front” egg is so hard for her to attend to.  By the time Tracy left, the female had managed to wiggle herself forward enough to cover all of her eggs and was settled in for the night.  A local watcher who has been very regular at the site stopped by and suggested that we give this unbanded female an official name.  With thanks to our supporters for the suggestion, the Hearn female’s new official name is Angela!

We will continue to update you on the progress of Peter and Angela as incubation continues.  All photos by Tracy Simpson.


Unbanded Female at Hearn Has Moved

April 13, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Bruce Massey Reports:

I stopped in this morning at the Hearn Generating Station for a site check on Peter and his female after a week of very wet, cold weather.  Last week, the female was lying down on the roof of the main building and was definately incubating one or more eggs.  It would seem that this week she has abandoned that spot and has taken Peter’s suggestion.  Today she was lying down inside the old nest cavity and looking much happier and drier.  While we can’t confirm how many eggs were left on the rooftop, we can say that she is on track with more and in a much better spot.

Peter and His Girl on Egg(s) at Hearn

April 07, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Bruce Massey Reports:

Yesterday I stopped down at the Hearn Generating Station to check in on the progress Peter is making with his new unbanded bride.  When I arrived, Peter was on one of the rooftop pipes preening while the female was nowhere to be seen.  I watched as Peter glanced down at the roof and discovered that in fact his female was lying down just to the right of his perch.  The pair remained in their positions for the next 30 minutes and then Peter was off like a shot to the east.  A Red Tailed hawk who had been roosting in a tree made a move to the air and Peter was on it in seconds.  He put the hawk down on the ground before returning for some recon circling of the stack.  After a half a dozen revolutions, Peter went into a power dive and swooped above the rooftop of the plant.  This brought his female to her feet and he flew in for mating.  The female remained on the roof top while Peter returned to the same elevation about 20 feet west of her.  After 10 minutes he was again off like a shot, this time to the south.  We tracked him until he was just over the marina and found him dive bombing a juvenile Harrier who was looking to get out of Dodge!!  The Harrier inverted several times to meet Peter talon to talon and took the Red Tailed’s advice and grounded himself.  Peter quickly returned to his lady and was back on the rooftop once more.  What has us believing that she has at least one or two eggs on the roof is that she waddled back over to her initial position and then made the tail dipping motion indicative of an adult with eggs.  She was about to lay down when…   …you guessed it… …Peter was off like a shot again.  This time we were unsure as to what had caught his eye but he was circling the stack for over 5 minutes before landing on one of the upper strobe lights.

Peter is absolutely on high red alert right now and doing an awesome job of it.  To his credit he has recently downed two RT hawks and a Harrier.  No fear here and on a mission!!  The female’s choice of nest site is really poor.  She is fully exposed to the elements and all aerial predators not to mention all the climbers around the plant such as raccoons and rats.  Unfortunately the plant is not in any certified safe condition to allow access for installation of a box or any other nest substrate for her to use.  We will continue to monitor the progress of this pair and talons crossed they will succeed in producing young this year.

All photos by Tracy Simpson


!!! Love is in the air at the Hearn nest site!

March 27, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

CPF Volunteer Reports:

March 27th - 2013
A quickly stop at the Hearn nest site found the two love birds involved in some courtship and copulation activities and allot of vocalization. While the resident adult male (believed to be Peter - who was the same resident adult male at Hearn from last season) tried his best to coax his new female mate to several of his chosen nesting spots, she showed absolutely no interest and remained on her roosting spot throughout most of this observation period.

While she was very receptive to his courtship advances and allowed copulation several times during this same period, she had no interest in being coaxed off her roosting spot. Peter visited at least three different potential nesting spots (including the old nest cavity / nest spot of last year), each time vocalizing to her in an attempt to draw her off her roosting spot to join him and check out the great potential nesting spots he had picked put for her, but she would have no part or interest in anything he was showing her and refused to leave her upper ledge roosting spot high up on the south ledge of the superstructure!

Clearly he was really trying really hard to coax her to these spots, but alas, he was unsuccessful in getting her to budge off her roosting spot. By dark, he had flown up to a higher elevation, perched himself himself and continued to vocalize as darkness fell.

During our observation period, he made several hi-speed hunting stoops - (both unsuccessful) and just as darkness fell, he stooped at and knocked a large female Red-tailed hawk out of the air south of the superstructure - (south east of our location), grounding it as we watched it disappeared from our view below the tall grass! A spectacular event to witness. We never did see the Red-tail come back up from the ground level! Sadly, it happen so fast (and too dark) to get a photo!

We left when it was literally to dark to see much of anything. The strong gusting cold winds and rain really made it difficult to spend anytime out of the car thus the lack of any really decent photographs.

Stay tuned………..


Peter Back at Hearn

March 19, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Tracy Simpson Reports:

Bruce and I decided that on a nice sunny day it would be a great opportunity to head down to the Hearn Generating Station for a site check on Peter and his unbanded lady.  When we arrived, there were no peregrines to be seen and all was quiet.  We waited for a while and still nothing was happening.  Just as we were about to head further down the road to investigate, in bombs Peter from the south and he whipped through the nest area  before landing on one of the south ledges in the sun.  He sat there for some time vocalizing here and there before taking off around the east end of the plant and disappearing from our view.  We then decided to drive around to the Commissioners side and although we couldn’t see Peter or his mate, the male could clearly be heard as his eechupping echoed throughout the back of the plant.  We headed back around to the south side of the plant for one last check but Peter was nowhere to be seen.  It was great to see that he is still on site and we look forward to watching him and his new mate this nesting season.

Home for the Holidays at Hearn

December 24, 2012 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station

Tracy Simpson Reports:

Yesterday I went on a bit of  an urban scavenger hunt for peregrines looking for those that were home for the holidays.  I started at the Hearn Generating Station looking for Peter and his new un-banded lady love.  At first, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  After a scan of the facility and usual hangouts, I changed position and what did I see?  A peregrine falcon staring back at me!!  The new resident female was on the back side of the stack perched on the railing of the maintenance stairs.  She sat there for a few minutes and then took off circling the stack.  I watched her stay high and then disappear somewhere on the south side of the facility just east of the stack.  She didn’t leave the territory and so I repositioned once again.  I found her on the south face of the main building preening the day away.  While watching her, it was clear that she had her eye on Peter who was behind me to the south somewhere in the marina area.  I couldn’t see him but the looks she gave was not an interest in prey.  She remained there waiting for Peter to come home from his last minute shopping and continued to preen and doll up for the holidays. 

Nice to see her on site and I look forward to being back down again over the coming weeks to visit the pair.