Yup, you can go down there, it's safe!

yes, come over here...good girl!

[Mississauga - Executive Centre]

!!! One of A Fledger’s worst nightmare! Every one is missing!!
June 20, 2010 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:

A fledge watcher’s worst nightmare. Upon my arrival this morning, there were absolutely no birds in sight including the absence of both resident adults. After walking around the four MEC properties for over 2 hours searching every nook and cranny, every parking lot, and all of the surrounding roadways, nothing was found! Finally around 11AM, the resident adult female flew in from the south and landed on the nest box landing platform. She stopped, looked down into the ledge below the nest box and flew off to the north. Nothing in the nest box itself, but something was obviously noticed below as that was the reason she flew over in the first place,,, to check on someone!

By 11:30am, Marion and Kathy arrived to help in the search. Moments afer their arrival, one juvenile finally popped up from the ledge below the nest box, flapped its wings, rushed along the upper ledge to the corner of the nest ledge and dropped down again out of our sight. Neither Craig or Joe has been sighted since their release back to the nest building roof top last night.

After a two plus search of all parking lots, parking ramps and the surrounding roadways and buildings, trees, and the creek on both sides of Robert Spec parkway, not even a single resident bird of any kind was kind enough to help me with warning or alarm calls that would have tipped me off of a downed fledgling. So the wait continues in the hope that mom or dad will give us some help as to where the fledglings may have grounded themselves.
Stay tuned………

from Last night:

!!! Craig is the second to fledge! Stunned, but unhurt as he comes to the ground.
June 19, 2010 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:

A very quiet day today with just a little rain this morning, and then blistering hot, clear sky and hot and humid. Upon my arrival, the juveniles were actually on the top of the nest box lounging around without a care in the world. Then around 1:30pm, mom came in to the nest ledge and straight into the nest box. If I hadn’t had my eyes fixed onto the nest box at that very moment, I would have missed her for sure. Moments later, the juveniles all jumped down onto the nest box landing platform and entered the nest box. A minute later, mom appeared with the food that she had flown in with and I watched her feed each of the juveniles beak to beak.. A very tender moment indeed. Then I watched her consume the balance of the huge white pigeon that she had been feeding her hatchlings.

At around 3pm, little “Craig� took his first flight. Sadly, with the high winds, he was carried across the street and slammed into the glass about half way up MEC 2, and fluttered down the glass to the side walk area. I was able to quickly scoop him up while he lay dazed on the concrete. Seconds later, he was awake and very alert, with no signs of any serious injuries, just stunned after his impact. A quickly examination for broken bones and serious trauma, and he was put into the rescue carrier for a quick hold over to cool down and de-stress. He will be released back to the nest building if he checks out OK after his second examination.

More...

!!! Two on the roof and two still on the nest ledge.
June 19, 2010 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Mark Nash Reports:

For the most parts, an uneventful evening with the exception of the blustery winds that never let up, right up until darkness. At the close of my shift, the last male “Wade� was still visible on the nest box and his sister “Xuan� - (pronounced Soon) had disappeared into the darkened nest box.

Their falcon follies started later in the evening than usual with Wade running up and down the nest ledge flapping and charging his sister as he threatening to fly on more than a dozen occasions, even as darkness set in. Finally at 9:40pm he finally settled down and allowed me a few stress free moments

Finished the watch at 9:50pm when it was too dark to the nest ledge. Back into the building and one final check of the two boys “Craig and Joe� prior to their release back to the roof of the nest building. A final quick examination and a little water for both juveniles to assist in their re-hydration and it was back to the roof top of the nest building for their release. While I must admit, I was the only one that really needed the re-hydration as the hot humid past 14 hours in the streets had me feeling like a clammy old rag. The cool air conditioned environment where the two boys had been resting in their rescue carriers was far from uncomfortable! Oh my goodness, it was nice to finally get into some cool air!!

Utilization of the cover of darkness for their release made it much easier to get two birds back to the roof without causing them a panic flight at my presence during the release, and for the most parts all when well. Well at least for the birds.

I can’t say that everything went just exactly as I visioned it, as trying to release both birds at precisely the same time (while ensuring that both birds were removed from the rescue carriers exactly at the same time was easy), but the job got done.

(Funny how they fuss going into the rescue carriers in the first place, and fight like heck to stay in the rescue carriers, refusing to come out! After sustaining ripped and torn pants and numerous punctures to both of my legs, during this release, I can tell you that both birds have plenty of fight and lots of energy!

As I quickly departed the roof area and headed for the roof hatch to make my exit, both juveniles seemed very satisfied that they had been successful in “kicking my butt� (which they did), my final observation of them before closing the hatch had them standing side by side mantling and hissing at me like a couple of vipers with looks that could kill. I know that I won’t be on their Christmas card list this winter! I prey that we won’t meet again anytime too soon!

 Tons of Talon to Talon Action!!!
June 19, 2010 - Windsor - Ambassador Bridge
Dennis Patrick Reports:

The youngsters tonight were engaging each other in locked talon swing arounds. The wind was right so we had some excellant aerial displays. 30 or 40 feet over head and all around JUST above tree top
I want to say thank you to our watch team whom without I can honestly say this report would be shy a couple of Falcons.
The displays are great late afternoon and evening. Several talon to talon aerial hand offs of food. You can see the youngsters grow in maturity and confidence every day. Voltaire the female really layed down the law tonight and clamped down on the no fly zone. She climbed several times right past a gull and stooped and chased and drove the gull off. Thank you to all the volunteers who came to meet under the Bridge where this first started 3 Years ago. I have many pictures to post and I will try to do so.

!!! 2 Fledges!!
June 19, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Frank Butson Reports:

Finally 2 of our 3 boys took flight. We are sure one was Blackberry. He flew first as Kathy and I watched. He sailed over the condo on Aberfoyle and went to the roof of One Lomonde. From there he made a good flight gaining altitude landing on the window ledge of the appartment across the road. From there to the rooftop of Kingsway on the Park. From there to the 2nd tower of the Sunlife Centre(over the section where the nestledge is!). Finally Blackberry made a brilliant flight which Kathy witnessed,where he made it back to the nestledge. This is a benchmark at watches as getting back to the nestledge,shows a controlled flight.

The 2nd fledge we arent entirely sure who it is. Kathy thinks it was Mercedes. He flew well and ended up ontop of the Sunlife Centre. He was on the roof  ledge walking along,when a gust of wind took him off. He flew well,but his landing was not so good. He missed 3 attempts to land before coming to rest on a balcony. He is safe for the night there. If he remains there in the morning we will attempt a rescue.  The 2 young on the ledge were fed and we left around 930pm.  Thanks to all our helpers today,including Baylie,Terry and Elizabeth Shiels ,Sandra and Bob and security at Kingsway  On The Park.

No Fly Zone Etobicoke
June 18, 2010 -
Frank Butson Reports:

Once again our 3 boys stayed put on the ledge without flying. Several times they clung perilously to the edge of the ledge,flapping,but just couldnt committ to that last step and leave go.  Mom turned the area into a no fly zone,keeping the airspace clear for take-off. Over the course of the afternoon,she took a serious run grabbing a Ring-billed Gull before letting go,diving at and hitting at least 4 times a passing Turkey Vulture and most amazingly,a Great Blue Heron was seen passing by,by Ian,Marion and I,only to be attacked by Angel. When she got close the Great Blue Heron realized it was in trouble and went into a quick,steep dive itself,hit once by Angel over the intersection of Aberfoyle and Bloor. The Great Blue Heron resembled a “lawn dartâ€� as it dove. None of us had ever seen such a dive!  Kathy,Marion and I left around 830pm,after a feeding took place after 8pm,repeating the fledge watchers lament..tomorrow for sure they fly!  With bad weather coming,we may be speaking those words again Saturday night?

Cuter yet!

OHHH LOOK!! 

Well well...look who came out of hiding

   I just about had a heart attack...wasn't watching for a bit...come back to no (apparent) Callidora.  She's napping on the far ledge, pancaked below the rail.  You can just see the tip of her beak when she picked up her head.

Thank goodness for the archive...I never would have figured it out without it!

me too, then saw your post...that little.....(trickster) 

         I like all the poop, it looks like melted wax!   Thanks Donna.   

 

Pigeons living under the Ambassador Bridge had better beware. Peregrine falcon fledglings Windsor and Lancer were spotted Friday morning feasting on the birds they are learning to hunt.

Dennis Patrick, site co-ordinator with the Windsor Peregrine Watch Team, said this was the first documented talon-to-talon handoff from one of the parents to their off-spring.

"One of the parents caught it in mid-air, then the other three kids gave chase," he said.

"The one that got there quickest, and jostled and sparred the most, got the prize.

"This is the first step in turning the switch on to them getting their first kill on their own. It's major." Patrick said the next step will involve the parents taking a kill high up in the air and dropping it so the fledglings have to catch it.

The parents get their young to fly by zipping past with food and sometimes do talon-to-talon handoffs of food in the air.

The fledglings have been learning to fly since their first jump off the nest ledge under the Ambassador Bridge earlier this month. Lancer left first on June 7 and Bridgette took her first flight to the ground on June 9.

Although Windsor was the last to leave on June 10, he was the more successful flyer at first.

Volunteers can tell the fledglings apart by coloured tape that will eventually fall off. Bridgette has a red band, Lancer has a yellow band and Windsor has a green band.

Peregrine falcons are putting on an aerial show around the Ambassador Bridge where three fledglings survived their first jump off the nest ledge and are just now attempting talon-to-talon grabs of food in the air.

"It puts the Red Bull right in the back seat," Windsor Peregrine Watch Team site co-ordinator Dennis Patrick said this week. "The flying they're doing, it's phenomenal."

Since peregrine falcon chicks usually have an 80 per cent mortality rate in their first year, getting the fledglings successfully through their first step off the nest ledge at the Ambassador Bridge and flying is a big relief.

"Day by day our odds increase of them making it," Patrick said.

Lancer left the ledge first on June 7 and was followed by Bridgette the female on the ninth and Windsor on the 10th. The trio took their first flights earlier than expected.

Although Windsor is the smallest and was the last to get off the ledge, he was the most successful in his first flight. The other two fledglings ended up still on the ground at dusk so volunteers contacted the bridge company and intervened to make sure the fledglings were on higher perches for the night. If the birds are not in imminent danger, the volunteers just watch.

There were a few times when volunteers had to try to keep cars from hitting the falcons on Huron Church Road.

Now the fledglings, which are about 48 days old, are being trained to hunt.

The adult peregrines, Freddie and Voltaire, start weaning the chicks off food to get them interested in leaving the nest. Once their young are flying, the fledglings still get some food such as pigeons dropped off but more and more the parents try to lure them off their perch.

"I'm watching Freddie come by, show them a little glimpse of food. As soon as they engage, he flies away and they have to chase him. Whoever catches him gets fed first. So they're racing each other for food."

Other birds fly and flap a lot, Patrick said. "The peregrine is like your fighter jet -- narrow wings -- and when it comes into a dive it's just unbelievably fast."

Peregrine falcons can reach speeds of up to 320 km/h when diving for prey.

  Beauty and the girls

[Enjoy your day dads!]

Enjoy your day dads!

http://www.birderslounge.com/2010/06/hummingbird-hovercraft-steals-insects-from-spiders-web/

A better understanding of their behavior can help protect birds from habitat loss, pollution, climate change and other threats

The familiar phrase “bird brain� may make you think birds are not too bright, but the sexual antics and social lives of birds are surprisingly sophisticated. Why do birds divorce? What makes them cheat on their mates? Why might couples favor sons over daughters? These aspects of behavior aren’t mere curiosities: they’re crucial puzzle pieces that will help researchers understand the threats to birds from pollutants, climate change and habitat destruction.

MYTH #1:
Birds sing because they are happy
Males sing as a form of aggression to warn competing males to stay away and also to signal their personal qualities to attract females to mate with them. Females tend to prefer males who sing more often or have more complex songs.

MYTH #2:
Birds pair for life
Divorce is a regular part of life for almost all birds; most live with one partner for only a few months or years, depending on the species. Annual divorce rates range from 99 percent in the greater flamingo to 0 percent in the wandering albatross.

MYTH #3:
Birds are monogamous
Most songbirds in North America cheat on their mates; DNA paternity testing shows that in many species, 40 percent of the young are the result of extra-martial matings.

MYTH #4:
Touching a baby bird causes parents to abandon the nest
Parents put so much effort into building nests, incubating eggs and caring for young that they rarely desert nestlings simply because a person has found the nest.  A young bird chirping for food near the nest has not necessarily been abandoned; its parents are probably nearby waiting for you to leave the area.

MYTH #5:
Swallows survive winter by burrowing in the mud
Thank Aristotle for this idea, but the truth is hard to believe too. Purple martins and barn swallows fly about 10,000 miles round trip to Brazil to escape the northern winters.

MYTH #6:
Feeding hummingbirds in the fall stops them from migrating
Many birds enjoy plentiful food in the early fall, especially those that feed on flowers and fruit, but they leave on migration anyway because of favorable tail winds and shortening day length. (Well, I know of at least 1 that stayed the Winter but died)

MYTH #7:
Birds are stupid
Bird brains are simple in design compared with mammals, but don’t let this fool you. Birds can recognize relatives they haven’t seen in years, tell a neighbor from a stranger just by its voice, remember the location of food they hid away months earlier, and even use tools.

MYTH #8:
Two parents are needed to raise the young
In many birds like hummingbirds and woodcock, the female raises the young all by herself. In other birds like crows and blue jays, parents recruit nannies, usually former offspring, to help protect and feed the young.

MYTH #9:
Birds have no sense of smell
Most birds cannot smell odors nearly as well as dogs, for instance, but some seabirds can recognize their mate by smell alone, and turkey vultures find their meals by sniffing out the gases coming from carrion.

MYTH #10:
Since birds can fly so well, they can easily adapt to climate change
Although many birds species are moving north as temperatures rise, and even laying eggs earlier, in some cases their food supply no longer peaks when they need it the most--and their young suffer.

Bridget Stutchbury is a professor of biology at York University in Toronto and the author of several books about birds. Her latest, The Private Lives of Birds: A Scientist Reveals the Intricacies of Avian Social Life, was published by Walker & Company on June 1, 2010.

Birds with the brightest feathers may pay a cost for their showmanship; they go on to become poor fliers.

Males with the brightest plumage are thought to be more sexually attractive to female birds.

But a study of American goldfinches is the first to show that high levels of brightly coloured chemicals in feathers leads to a breakdown in flight muscles, which affects flight performance.

Details are published in the journal Naturwissenschaften. The discovery does not necessarily mean that the brightest birds are also the weakest, or least able to reproduce.

Instead it shows that having bright feathers comes at a real cost to male birds. That in turn means that bright feathers are an honest signal of quality.

Only the fittest males in the best condition, who are best able to cope with the negative effects, will take on enough brightly coloured chemicals to brighten their plumage.

Yellow health

In many animals, including fish and birds, males gain competitive or mating advantages by ingesting and using large quantities of pigments known as carotenoids.

These yellow, orange and red pigments are found naturally in the bird's diets, and they cannot be made by their bodies.

When eaten, carotenoids are converted to brighten otherwise dull feathers, creating bright plumages.

The beneficial effects of high levels of carotenoids are well documented by scientists: as antioxidants they are thought to improve bird's health, and the resulting bright feathers signal to female birds that males are healthy, have less parasites and a good diet.
But until now, scientists have not examined whether there is a downside to eating lots of carotenoids.

To do so, Professor Kristen Navara of the University of Georgia in Athens, US and colleagues at Auburn University, Alabama studied what happened to American goldfinch birds fed a diet rich in carotenoids.

Over two consecutive seasons, they fed wild caught goldfinches a high carotenoid diet for two months, followed by a normal diet for two months.

A control group of birds was consistently fed a diet low in carotenoids.

During the experiments, the researchers collected feathers from the birds to measure how much carotenoid pigment was taken up into the bird's plumage.

In the first year, they also tested for levels of an enzyme that might indicate muscle is being broken down in the birds.

In the second year, they followed this up by directly testing the bird's ability to fly by measuring the performance of the bird's flight muscles.

Muscle wasters

The results were clear.

Birds fed carotenoid supplements were significantly more colourful, having more strikingly yellow feathers.

However, birds fed this high-carotenoid diet also produced high levels of muscle-wasting enzymes, as the carotenoids became toxic, causing tissue damage.

They also performed less well during flight tests.

"The impairments were long-term and occurred two months after carotenoid supplementation had stopped," Prof Navara told the BBC.

"In a natural situation, this time period would correspond with the breeding season for male goldfinches.
"Impaired muscle performance during this time could decrease reproductive output overall." That means only birds in good enough condition to tolerate these negative effects will take on high levels of carotenoids, and hence have the showiest feathers.

"So when females choose males with bright colouration, they are choosing ones in good enough condition to withstand high levels of carotenoids," says Prof Navara.

"Until now high levels of carotenoids have been regarded as beneficial to songbirds, and out study suggests that other potentially detrimental effects need to be tested in other species to get a full picture

On the left, a sexier goldfinch with carotenoid-rich feathers

Under house arrest: Pensioner attacked by seagull living on his roof every time he leaves home.

A pensioner has become a prisoner in his own home after repeated attacks from a seagull.

Gerry Myers, 79, was left with head injuries after the latest encounter with the bird, which swoops on him whenever he leaves his house.

The widower was left with blood pouring down his face after the gull targeted him seconds after leaving his home in Truro, Cornwall.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287675/Gerry-Myers-Pensioner-attacked-seagull-living-roof-time-leaves-home.html  Full story here