All in one day!! By Mark Nash!! OMG!!!Today started out like any other day at this time of year with the phone ringing off the hook and several calls on the go at the same time, two people on hold and everyone has a peregrine baby in their back yard! Pigeons, American kestrels, Coopers hawks and Sharp-shinned hawks all seem to invade the city at this time of year!
Then thereās the real peregrines, and a flurry of calls from Etobicoke about a fledgling named Jupiter down on the deck not looking to well. A quick scramble and another serious of calls to ask Kathy to cover off the Yellow pages watch, shuttle Marion to take over the King Street watch, and run out to Etobicoke Sun Life nest site at Bloor & Islington to find out what has happened.
More call on the mobile while on the road again from Tracy and Frank out at the William Osler watch with another downed fledgling needing to be rescued from the ground and in harms way.
Bruce calls to update me on the Canada Square Yonge & Eglinton birds, still on the ledge, no fledge yet. More calls from Linda at the Toronto Sheraton watch, two missing fledglings and situation frantic.
Two more calls from Bloor & Islington, downed fledgling limping badly, and not looking well. No longer active. Update on the go from Marion at King Street, young male missing - gone from the ledge and searching. Yellow pages update from Kathy, relayed to me by Marion on yet another call, hatchlings up and down from the nest ledge, never seen all at the same time, so unsure if one or two have actually fledged. Canāt tell as never is there two or more hatchlings been seen at the same time.
Arrival at Etobicoke, and search all lower terraces,, no bird found! After 30 minutes of searching with the assistance of Sun Life security, I finally hook up with Kathy and talk to Baylie on the phone. Up to the fifth floor with Kathy, she points out the downed fledgling in the corner of the upper terrace on the east side of the east tower, not looking too active at all. Itās Jupiter, one of the fledglings that was flying so well only days before,,, with strong flights and able to sustain and gain lots of altitude, and able to get back to the roof top and nest ledge!!
Three more telephone calls, Bruce is leaving Yonge & Eglinton nest site to relieve Tracy at William Osler nest site so she can go to CPF raptor centre in Woodbridge to feed our own birds.
Harlequin calls in panic, young hatchling is out of the nest tray on the ledge at the Don Mills nest site and canāt get back in. Marion calls with update from King Street nest site downtown, little male hatchling āKenyaā is still missing and now all King Street watch crew is very worried! Searching all roof tops in open vents and air cooling pools.
After another 20 minutes of observations from Kathyās office, it is quite obvious that Jupiter will never make any altitude from this position encapsulated on all four sides by hi-rises and tall retaining walls, and only just feet from the ground and busy Bloor Street. After discussing a game plan, rescue is in motion with Kathy and Baylie assisting. Back to security for their assistance through a serious of door ways, internal hallways and finally up the latter and through a roof hatch to the lower terrace area. Across the roof, down another latter and across yet another lover roof elevation and Jupiter is finally spotted. Cell phone rings out with two more incoming calls. Message beeper going,, canāt answer these ones at the moment! With Kathy and Baylie on the upper Kingsway on the park terrace (actually lower than Jupiterās position) with towels in hand to distract her, I was able to approach Jupiter from behind and drop the net. Got her!!
Back to security at the Sun life Centre to examine Jupiter for injuries and other obvious signs of trauma. Two more phone calls, phone ringing off the hook and message indicator beeping. Canāt answer now, bird in hand - literally! After a very detailed examination, Jupiter checks out just fine and seems to have come to life!! Lots of attitude, alert and very aggressive indeed! Just what we want to see.
Back in the carrier for safe keeping and hold over until release back to the roof under the cover of darkness. Siblings on the roof and canāt release Jupiter at the risk of scaring her siblings in a panic flight off the roof into potential harms ways at this early stage of the fledge for them.
Sun life security babysitting Jupiter until I return at dark to release her.. Catch up on telephone messages while I dash across the city in rush hour traffic from Etobicoke to Yonge & Eglinton to check on hatchlings at the Canada Square nest site given Bruceās absence. Birds OK, still on the ledge.
Not quite sue what actually happened that got Jupiter grounded, but likely over confident in her new flight skills, she collided with a window and stunned herself. I am very glad it happened this soon after her first flights, early in the fledge, as the juveniles are slow and usually hit softly the first couple of times.
If they donāt experience soft hits and brush ups with the windows in the first week of the fledge when they are usually very slow, a hit with a window in the second week of their flights, usually spells a very fast and hard hit that ends up in far more serious injuries and mortality. Unlike most other birds, peregrines learn by their mistakes and donāt repeat them. They learn whet windows are all about if they survive hits with windows early in their lives.
Three more telephone calls, one from OMNR asking if I can run to the Don Mills nest site to obtain copies or photographs of documents they need to be able to proceed with the Don Mills nest site banding tomorrow. No way, tooo much traffic and not enough time to get there before they all leave the office for home.
Security calls from a building across the street from the Yellow Pages nest site telling me a downed hawk looking bird on the ground under a tree and looks badly injured. Holly crap!! No one else is available!! Further detailed conversation and very lengthy call with the caller, its decided that the downed bird is actually a pigeon,, not a raptor at all! Everyone has a peregrine in their back yard donāt you know!!
Marion calls from King Street nest site, she reports that have found Kenya,,, he safe on a rooftop and although much lower than the nest ledge, he has some altitude and in a safe spot.
Back to Bloor and Islington to the Sun Life nest site by 9:15 pm and Jupiter is examined one last time for any signs of trauma or injuries just to make sure she is OK before she is released. Every thing is good. Up to the roof of the nest building under the cover of darkness, where MOM is waiting. Boy is she not so happy with my presence!!! A quick release of Jupiter and Iām ducking and dodging to get back to the roof hatch and get out of her wayā¦quickly!!
On the road again on route downtown to the King Street nest site to pick up Marion and try to get home. Cell phone rings again,, itās now 10:30 pm,, Tracy update me as to her fledglingās release and everything went well.
Home by 11pm, eat quick, and start updates and web postings. Its now 1:58 in the morning and I canāt stay awake any longer. Most of the 12 postings and my own report has been done.
Banding at the Don Mills nest site tomorrow and back in th field on the fledge watches.
By the end of July, most of us will be part of the walking dead club, suffering from āfalcon neckā as we say. Itās an annual ailment that comes and goes at this time of the year during the fledge watches.
Just another typical day and usual happenings on the fledge watches.
Stay tunedā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦.
Jupiter
What a day and what a fine job they are doing over there.
