Both Sukura and Kenya have been spending their daytime away from the nesting area. I see them flying as far east as Jarvis. In the evening they return to the nesting area, camping out on near by buildings. The adults are seen in the late evening circling high above the area, before returning back to 18 King St area.
After leaving the Sheraton watch, I did a spot check on the King St nest site. Both adults were sitting on Dundee Place, I did not see either juvenile. Crossing Church St at King St, I head the distinct sound of juveniles screaming. Kenya was chasing Sakura directly above me in the parking lot at King and Church. A good chase with locking talons. Kenya kept pushing Sakura. ‘They circled and played and then eventually broke off and flew back to the roof of 18 King. All that noise drew attention to them, the pedestrians thought they were gulls, but I knew better and enjoyed watching them.
After closing the Sheraton Watch this evening, walking past the King Edward Hotel, I could hear two juvies screaming. I looked up and could clearly see the silhouette of the birds on a nearby roof edge.
Around noon today, while scanning the south side of the King St buildings, I caught site of what appeared to be a juvenile peregrine on the north east corner of the King Edward Hotel. I kept my eye on it and I thought I saw a second peregrine. I moved closer to the hotel and at a different angle. I saw one adult, two juveniles on the east side of the hotel, and the second adult was on the nest ledge. Food had just been delivered to the roof of the hotel and both Kenya and Sukura jumped down onto the roof to feed. Minutes later a clear view of Kenya with hazy head appeared, smaller than his sister Sukura. I had all four in view  at 1:15p.m. YEAH!!!!
Yesterday we had an unusual experience. We’ve seen quite a number of falcons from our windows since moving here in 1983. On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, about 6:45 a.m. I saw a falcon on the roof of the office building (26 Wellington St. East) adjoining ours. It became apparent that this is a new bird this spring – he still has soft white feathers of the newborn – and that he is learning to fly. Every once in a while he peers down to the ground, then flaps huge wings as he hops along the edge, back and forth. Occasionally he stops this routine and just rests a while. You know, it is quite a drop to the ground if he can’t stay afloat in the air.
We went out about 11 a.m. to the blood lab for my blood test and then had lunch in the cafe in our building. We returned to our apartment about 1:10 p.m. to find the bird still on the roof, with the same old routine. He looked to be scared to death.
We phoned Polly to get information about falcon watches. She called the Peregrine Foundation. The bird has a red band on his right leg (every once in a while he’d seem to try to tug it off). He remained on the roof until about 8:30 p.m. when he took off with a great flap of wings. He circled around in great swoops and landed on the roof of the St. Lawrence Theatre. He stays there for about half an hour and then disappears in the twilight. At one point in the evening one of his parents circles high above and then swoops down almost hitting his head – then disappears. A member of the Foundation says the parent is attempting to give the youngster guidance on how to return to the nest, a few blocks away. The bird had no food or water for about 14 hours, but finally he finds the courage to fly. We felt like cheering!
This morning we learn from the Foundation that he has been rescued (netted, actually) in the alley behind the Spaghetti Factory restaurant and was returned to his nest about 10:30 last night. Perhaps in the coming months and years he’ll come around to see us again. His red band will be a clue that he’s the chap who gave us many anxious moments one day. Incidentally, he has a name. It’s Kenya.
Kenya is still at large and has not been seen. Today, I saw a juvenile on a 10th floor roof area next to the nest building. This area being low in comparison to the nest building next door. It was there all day. It took flight at dinner time and flew east between buildings, low, but made it up to the corner of # 1 Toronto St. I made my way up to a higher elevation to ID this juvenile and it turns out to be Sukura, not our missing male, Kenya.
We are all keeping a look out for the little guy.
Kenya was missing all day yesterday he must have took off sometime in the very early morning.
I walked the downtown core for hours as far south, west , east and north as I thought he might have gone and looked in every alley I could find every balcony I could see every roof top edge and nothing. I went to the roof top of the king Edward, 18 King and Pauls terrace and scanned all the roof tops for blocks and nothing.
At the end of the day yesterday I went home feeling like I had done a marathon and worried as to where he had gotten to.
Thankfully he was found by Linda Woods right next door to the nest building on the roof top about 10 floors up he must have been tucked in yesterday and had not come out to the edge of the roof and it is one of the few roofs I could not get a site line on.
Hopefully he keeps high will keep you posted.
Paul started todays watch this morning and found Kenya where we left him yesterday evening I joined him at noon and he was still there with the heavy fog and rain he stayed put all day. He was fed at least twice that we saw and then jumped down to the nest ledge early and went to bed just as the fog started to get heavier Janine and Mark helped us close the evening shift keeping an eye on him while we spot checked his sister.
Sister Sakura had a couple flights but otherwise she was on the King Edward most of the day and then went to 1 Toronto to spent the night.
Sakura took several flights today 17 of them wow! This one is a great flyer!
Kenya on the other hand took 1 flight in the afternoon from the King Edward where we left him the night before to the office tower just behind the Hotel on wellington where he stayed until 8pm then took flight trying to get to the upper level to the same building but missed only by a foot.
He then fluttered down to about the 5th floor about a 20 floor drop before he hooked around to head south where he made a brief stop on top of the St Lawrence Centre and in one more unsuccessful attempt to gain altitude he went still further south to land on the roof of the old spaghetti Factory roof which was too low for comfort.
There were to tall towers on both sides and I knew he was going to end up on the ground in the alley in the back where he was or perhaps on the street in the Esplanade or as I was warned by restaurant workers eaten by the raccoons.
I called Mark who was on his way downtown to release one of the fledglings from the Sheraton Hotel who had been rescued by Linda Woods earlier and asked to stop by and help us get Kenya down from there before he slipped off into the dumpster 8 feet below or became raccoon dinner. Mark had a net with a telescopic pole so I thought if he could get access to the condo terrace nest door just feet from Kenya we could save him from this dark scary alley and perhaps a nasty fate.
Mark was there is about 15 minutes and into the security of the building who contact the resident who’s terrace we needed to go onto to and within minutes he was back with Kenya and a few new bite marks on his arms but Kenya was fine.
We got him back home to the 18 King st. roof where we left him safe and sound and headed off to the Sheraton to release Cinnamon who as I mentioned had been rescued earlier by Linda.
Expecting that today could be the day one of the chicks would fledge I arrived at the site at 2 pm and found Sakura on the ledge flapping and screaming for mom and dad to bring food but did not see Kenya.
In about 45 minutes mom came in with food which Sakura quickly grabbed form her and jumped back down in the nest ledge to eat and all the while I heard screaming from a chick which I assumed was her brother trying to get his share.
I was told by other watchers that Kenya seemed to be a little lazy and often stays down on the ledge until the early evening or perhaps he does not like the hot sun so I was not too concerned that I had not seen him yet.
By 4 pm Paul and I were getting nervous about why he had not appeared yet even for a moment and I decided to go up to the mechanical room at the nest building to check the monitor to see if he was alright and nope he was not there.
I went over to the King Edward hotel and asked security to get me up to the roof as I had seen the parents hanging around the roof on and off all day and sure enough there he was sitting with his mom with a nice full crop of food.
Paul had been out to check on the kids earlier that day and had not seen him then so we expect he fledged sometime in the early morning. At dark he was still on the King Edward roof and his sister still on the nest ledge and after being fed by mom was tucked in for the night.