We Lost Her, Then We Found Her, Then We Lost Her, Then We Found Her, Etc. Etc. Etc.
June 16, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:
First off let me say, stay tuned for Mark Nash’s report from yesterday about Rocky Raccoon. It is quite a story.
It was another trying day at the Lift Bridge. I don’t know how we would have handled any more than 2 juveniles. 3 sets of eyes are just not enough to keep up with them. I couldn’t begin to write a whole report for the day so this is just a recap.
When Bill and I arrived at the Bridge this morning at 8am, Lady Nelson was nowhere to be found and the search began. No luck!! Several hours later, Mark just happened to look up at the Control Tower (on the Hamilton Bay side) and lo and behold, Missy had worked her way over to the edge and there she sat in full view. She spent the next couple of hours making her way around the Control Tower, ending up just over the walkway and the road. She was sitting right above a “Danger Sign” and she was most definitely in danger. A decision was made to rescue her before the next lift of the bridge. Well that didn’t work out too well. She took off out over the canal and tried to land on the Burlington Tower, missed, came around and tried to land on the Burlington Hydro Tower, missed and landed in the trees somewhere???
The search was on. Over the bridge, search the ground, search the trees, search the towers. If it wasn’t for the Red Wing Blackbirds and Baltimore Orioles dive bombing her we would never have found her.
At around 4:30pm Bill and I decided to take a break and go home for a bite to eat. When we got back around 6:30pm, Lady Nelson was no longer in the tree and was MIA. By this time, some backup had arrived and the search was on once again, over the bridge, etc. etc. etc.
An hour or so later, she was finally spotted by Robert Williams on the upper beam on the bay side of the Bridge. When we left at 9pm, that’s where she was. I don’t think that she had been fed all day. She must be one very hungry and tired bird.
While all this was going on with Lady Nelson, Lady Lamont was no angel either. She is flying well and holding her altitude, but the landings are still not very good. When we left this evening, she was sitting out in the open on one of the cable wires.
Even while all this searching was going on Mom and Dad continued to entertain us with their hunting skills. I have never seen anything like it. In all my years of falcon watching I have never seen a pigeon plucked out of the air. Well today I finally saw it. Mom and Dad working together, it’s quite a sight.
Keeping our fingers crossed that all will be well when we arrive in the morning. Photos to follow.
Sukura and Kendal
June 16, 2011 - Toronto - King Street
Linda Woods Reports:
Sukura and Kendal are still at home on the nest ledge. Sukura is darkening very fast now that we finally have warm weather. Little evidence of fluff on her. She no longer has the white haze. Kendal still looks like he has fluff across the top of his head. This evening, one adult in view sitting on the Spire of the church, while Sukura and Kendal sat on the nest looking outward. Minimal flapping, no vocalization. At 8p.m. both Sukura and Kendal went behind the nest pillar and out of my view. At the same time the adult on the Spire was gone. I don’t know where the adults are camping out for the night, but tucked in where they still have a view of the nest ledge. All was quiet for the most part and I closed the watch for the evening at 8:45p.m.
!!! Just when you think it’s safe to go home!
June 15, 2011 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Mark Nash Reports:
The morning started off with Lady Lamont in sight for the most parts of the day,,, but at some time from first light to 8am, Lady Nelson had taken her first flight and was no where to be found! Our worst fears given the two big bodies of water and the two busy roadways. After hours of searching both sides of the pier on the lake side them on the bay side, pure frustration led to defeat as we all retired to the base camp to do the only thing that was left,, sit and wait and watch the parents to give you a clue as to her location. Hours passed and absolutely noting!! Mom and dad were scarce at best, and when the were visible, they showed absolutely no concern on interest for their missing daughter!!!
Another fews hours passed, and more scanning with the bins and scope and still nothing. Finally, at approx. 2:45 pm, we asked the guys in the bridge if they could escort us to the roof area of the Hamilton tower roof, (now safe as we once again had lady Lamont in sight on the other tower).
Now at roof level, and by 3pm I was scanning the world. Just as I was ready to call it quits, a tiny little brown figure appeared in the massive undercarriage amongst the steel girder superstructure frame of the Burlington skyway bridge on the leading edge of a huge horizontal steel beam.
Guess WHO?? Yes, it was Lady Nelson standing several huge concrete support columns down from on the Burlington side of the canal way up in the steel I-beams!!! I radioed to the group and base camp to a more than overjoyed and very relieved crowd down at ground level.
For the next few hours we watched Lady Nelson make some very short flights (and terrible landing) through the spider web of steel superstructure undercarriage of the Skyway bridge as she made her way back closer to the lift bridge towers.
As she flew to a beam directly behind us. Dad finally appeared in our view, seemingly flying out into our view from thin air to join his daughter. Hmmmm, did he have his eye on her the entire time???
The evening had Lady Nelson finally flying over to the Hamilton tower of the lift bridge, holding up on a steel beam way up on a beam of the Hamilton tower overlooking the canal As darkness fell, and with both fledglings and both adults in sight,, (Lady Lamont back in the nest box and Lady Nelson safely on a steel beam), and both settled in for the evening, we all agreed the it was safe to pack up and go home for the evening.
It was NOT TO BE! Minutes after 9pm, both parents were again airborne alarm calling as they stoped and dove around the upper tower area above and the rear of where Lady Nelson was roosting. After more than 15 minutes of scanning the darkened beams, Sue finally spotted “Rocky the Raccoon” with her binoculars high up on the tower moving around in the shadows.
Both parents were frantic as they continued to alarm call and flew around in the darkness around the rear corner of the upper levels of the back side of the tower.
Finally, we all got a sight line on this huge raccoon slowly descending face down one of the vertical steel ladders. We all watched in horror knowing only tooo well that if “Rocky the Raccoon“ spotted Lady Nelson, it would have been likely a very bad close to the day!
Thank goodness that McKenzie and Cirrus continued their pursuit of Rocky as I`m sure that it was their encouragement that kept Rocky both distracted and on the move down the tower and
past Lady Nelson.
By 10pm, Rocky had finally made its way to the lover bridge road way area and disappeared into the darkness.
We all crossed our fingers that Rocky had enough of McKenzie and Cirrus and officially closed down the fledge watch for the evening.
Stay tuned……
