August 08, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Linda Woods Reports:
Sunday evening around 8p.m. I was walking along King St opposite the nest building. I took a quick look at the east side of 18 King St. and counted 3 peregrines. Two adults were on the nest ledge level and one peregrine was on the roof of the nest building directly above the adults. I’m hoping the second juvenile is still around. We’ll have to keep watching.
I think the juvenile that was in view was the female named , Zera.
Posted on August 9, 2010 7:08 pm
July 16, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Frank Butson Reports:
I went to the St. Lawrence market this morning and had a look at the nest
ledge from afar and without binoculars and saw no Peregrines! About 40 minutes later I was making my way back to the subway,when I heard the familiar squawks of a young Peregrine so my eyes went skywards!
I saw one youngster fly over the King Eddie Hotel. I think the second bird I saw was also a juvenile; it did not seem to have the fluid flight of an adult! I stood and waited and was rewarded by the sight of one adult (the body looked quite white compared with the youngsters I saw).
There was quiet and no activity for a few minutes and then squawking broke
out, frantic squawking, and I saw an adult with a food parcel fly from
southeast of the nest building over King Street in the direction of the nest
building. The youngster which was *on* the King Eddie flew from there to the nest building and then stopped squawking. By the time I had walked backwards a bit in order to see the top of the nest building the squawking stopped and the adult flew from that building eastwards. The adult had lost wing feathers both wings and I did not manage to make note of the tail before the bird disappeared from view.
I then saw the adult I had first seen, circle above the nest building and
then fly to the huge brown and glass building across Yonge from the nest
building where it perched - high up!
Lyn
Posted on July 17, 2010 5:43 pm
July 03, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Mark Nash Reports:
Its funny after almost 15 years of peregrine activity (nesting and producing peregrine activity), there are still many folks in and around King street and Adelaide Street that still don’t know the incredible happenings going on above their heads at this time of year. Well, despite that fact, I can tell you that some of our good friends from the United Kingdom are watching. We received these photos and this observation report from Scot Alessi from England last week that might remind us that the day to day drudgery while imprisoned in our downtown cubicles can office a little real-time national geographic happening just above our heads. Just look up! A thank you to Scot visiting from the U.K. for his support. Scot writes:
Hello Mark
I am visiting here from the U.K. and a friend mentioned he sent you a picture of a noisy but beautiful feathered friend perched on his window outside his office at King and Yonge in downtown Toronto. I am staying right across the street and saw the Peregrines flying outside the window. I picked up my camera and took some snaps. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to post them on the site . Let me know if you do.
Kind regards
Scot Alessi.
Posted on July 11, 2010 10:44 am
July 02, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Mark Nash Reports:
A huge thank you to David and Thomas Charnock for sending in this photo of one of the young juvenile peregrines from the Toronto downtown King Street nest site that dropped in for a visit on thier window ledge. Now flighted and holding their altitude and investigating their new world in 3-D, the young fledglings should be visible and making regular appearances throughout the summer as they learn the ways of urban living.
Keep your camera’s and binoculars handy, as the best peregrine watching is yet to come!
Posted on July 2, 2010 11:55 am
June 30, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Mark Nash Reports:
Yet another call from Toronto Wildlife after they received a call from Rob, an employee with Image Design who calls from his cell phone while working at job site at George and Adalide in downtown Toronto, as he watches a young banded peregrine falcon struggle to get free from yet another glass balcony enclosure.
Identified as Zera by her 18 over X black band, she was produced at the Toronto 18 King Street nest site this year, and has hopefully learned a valuable lesson today about urban living. Uninjured and very peeved off, Zera was rescued safe and sound and will be released back to her parents and the nest site at 18 King Street nest site were she was produced.
With all of the rescues so far this year, we are very thankful that all of these fledglings are banded, as it makes it very easy to both identify them, and to know exactly what nest site they are to be re-released!! Without the band identifications, terrible mistakes could be made releasing a young fledgling back to the wrong nest territory, as the residents adults would not tolerate anything other than “their young” being in their territory. The fledglings have clearly demonstrated that they don’t always come down in their own territory, (remembering that they are birds and do fly some distances away from their nest sites), and in some cases have been grounded by the other resident adults in a territory other than theirs. While these errors in judgement on behalf of the young fledgling usually results in the fledgling’s mortality as they are dispatched very quickly by the other resident territorial adults, we sometimes do get lucky when the fledgling strays from it’s home turf, and are able to retrieve them if they are unharmed. With some of our urban nest sites being so close to one another, (and the juveniles having yet learned what the invisible lines are that each parent has defined as “their protected territory”), venturing or wandering into unknown territory can be very dangerous indeed!
Peregrines, (as many other birds of prey), especially during the family rearing and fledgling time, are very territorial and overly protective of both their territory and their young, Rarely do the adults tolerate outsiders of any kind, as any outsiders are either killed or driven out of the area in very short order!
Just ask some of the building engineering staff and the window washers trying to wash the windows on other buildings in the area at this time of year!
A huge thank you you to the Aspen Ridge Homes rescue team and all of the guys that made a effort to find us, Fab, John, Rob, Greg, Joe and all of the other guys that showed that everyone can make a difference!
Photos will follow
Posted on June 30, 2010 1:23 pm
June 27, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
CPF Postmaster Reports:
While the “kids” maybe away from the house (or off the nest ledge) at the moment, its only for a short time. The resident adults still have the hardest part of their job still to come.
Ongoing protection, feeding and training the “teenagers” to fend for themselves is a huge task for the two resident adults.
So far, there has been NO mortality and everyone seems to be doing quite well, staying aloft and away from the windows. The very good news: Is that each of the juveniles have all brushed up into the windows, and unlike many other birds, the young peregrines actually learn the dangers of the windows, and if they hit them softly and don’t injure themselves on these initial collisions, they do learn to stay away from glass.
This is an important lesson learned, as they will soon be picking up incredible speeds as they get older and more experienced, and if they have not learned the “window lesson “ early in their flight development, collisions with the windows at advanced ages usually results in serious injury or most often mortality due to the speeds that the juveniles are now travelling. We actually hope that they experience the “window lesson” early in their maiden flights, as they are slow and sloppy in their flights, and usually hit them softly at this stage.
For the next 30 to 90 days, the juveniles will be utilizing the nest ledge and still sleeping there most nights. Far from independent and able to feed them selves at this point, the youngsters have much to learn now that they can fly.
The adults will have to teach them many of the life skills that the juveniles will have to learn to survive to adulthood, or should I say, just survive another day)!!
Remember that by mid September, thousands of years of hard wired instincts will have the young juveniles head south on a migration and with upwards of an 80% mortality and many perils and risks, the juveniles will need all of the help that they can just to survive their first year.
The adult parents have their job cut out for them while teaching the juveniles how, what and where to hunt food, and how to recognize and escape from all of the “bad guys” out there. At this point, even their landings are terrible, as it takes allot of practice just to brake and coordinate a good landing!
Even after the juveniles have learned what to hunt (where and how to hunt it), there will be many trials and errors (misses and failures) before they are actually able to catch anything them selves, and this will take some time to hone their hunting skills.
Stay tuned, and look to the skies, as the best viewing is yet to come!!
Posted on June 27, 2010 10:39 am
June 22, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
CPF Postmaster Reports:
While the “kids” maybe away from the house (or should I say the nest ledge) throughout the day, it may only for a short time depending on the nest site. Now that the juveniles are flighted, they are investigating their new world and they will be honing their new flight skills. While they will be difficult to see them for the most parts throughout the day, they are still very dependant on their parents for food and protection for many weeks to follow.
Remember that the resident adults still have the hardest part of their job still to come. Protection, feeding and training the “teenagers” to hunt and fend for themselves.
For the next 30 to 90 days - (depending on the advancement of each individual fledgling), the juveniles may still be utilizing the nest ledge and still sleeping there at nights, as this is still the only home that they have ever known. Also, remember that this still remains the occupied territory of the resident adults, and these territories (and the nest ledge itself) are still very much under the resident adults control. It is their territory and it will still be protected from all intruders!
Unlike the “non-urban” nesting falcons, most of the urban nesting adult pairs remain on territory all year long and continue to defend the nest ledge and territory throughout the entire year, even during non nesting times.
A far as the juveniles are concerned, their adult parents still have to teach them all of the life skills that the they will have to learn to survive to adulthood, (or should I say, just to survive another day)!!
By mid September, thousands of years of hard wired instincts will have the young juveniles head south on a migration and with upwards of an 80% mortality and many perils and risks ahead of them, the youngsters will need all of the help that they can just to survive their first year. The adult parents have their job cut out for them trying to teach the juveniles how, what and where to hunt food, and how to recognize and escape from all of the “bad guys” out there.
Stay tuned, and keep your eyes to the skies over the next few weeks in and around the nest sites as the best viewing is yet to come!
Posted on June 22, 2010 1:08 pm
June 21, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Mark Nash Reports:
While the “kids” maybe away from the house (or the nest ledge) at the moment, its only for a short time. The resident adults still have the hardest part of their job still to come. Protection, feeding and training the “teenagers” to fend for themselves. For the next 30 to 90 days, the juveniles will be utilizing the nest ledge and still sleeping there most nights. The adults will have to teach them all of the life skills that the juveniles will have to learn to survive to adulthood, or should I say, just survive another day)!! Remember that by mid September, thousands of years of hard wired instincts will have the young juveniles head south on a migration and with upwards of an 80% mortality and many perils and risks, the youngsters will need all of the help that they can just to survive their first year. The adult parents have their job cut out for them trying to teach the juveniles how, what and where to hunt food, and how to recognize and escape from all of the “bad guys” out there.
Stay tuned, and look to the skies, as the best viewing is yet to come!!
Posted on June 21, 2010 5:04 pm
June 20, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Linda Woods Reports:
This morning, one juvie was seen on the south peak of # 1Toronto St.
The remainder of the day little action was seen. Malik must be venturing to new buildings and a little further away, no or little activity is seen during the day. The heat also must be keeping them out of view.
This evening, viewing from Front St, sightings of peregrines at various times had, an adult on the east side Scotia Tower, one was seen landing on CIBC, another time had a peregrine on different spots on the east side of One King St. Don’t know if I was seeing both adults and juvies, or adults from King St and the Sheraton.
From Leader Lane, one adult on Dundee Place, while Zera was on the south corner of the nest building. Shortly after Paul departed, the second juvenile came into view. It appeared to have come off of the press building area and over to the King Edward Hotel, while the adult had moved from Dundee Place over the north corner of the nest building and very vocal juvenile had not moved off it’s perch on the south corner of the nest building.
That’s good news, two juvies and one adult at 8p.m.
Also, the Kestrals must be fledging at this time, lots of “keet, keet, keet” in the neighbourhood of Front St
Posted on June 20, 2010 8:46 pm
June 18, 2010 - Toronto - King Street
Linda Woods Reports:
Zera, the young female continues to do well. She is staying up and making short flights from roof to roof in the immediate area. This evening she found a spot on a near by roof top, at nest ledge level, where she will overnight.
Malik was flying with one of the adults earlier this evening. He did a couple of circuits around the nest area and then over to the King Edward Hotel. He sat there for the remainder of the evening. Food was delivered but he didn’t seem to interested to eat. He settled in for the night, with no additional.
Posted on June 18, 2010 9:52 pm
