Canada Falcons: All but those hatched in Rochester

[Carol P.]

This will probably affect Cirrus and Sir at the Burlington Bridge nest site.  No mention of them in the article.   

http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/242579

[Donna]

All is well in Port Colborne
December 29, 2009 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:

We still have two crazy active falcons here !!!!!!!!!! They seem to like the snow.

Toronto Peregrine creates a family at Durat Hotel in downtown Flint Michigan
December 30, 2009 - International, National and Local News
Matt MacGillivray Reports:

It looks as if a 7 year old Toronto Peregrine Falcon named Majestic, has created a family with an 8 year old Peregrine named Barry from Ohio.  The pair had a chick earlier this year, named Maize, who has become a bit of a mascot for Flint, and the local Michigan University according to this Flint Journal article which includes great photos and video.

It is great to hear about Canadian Peregrines moving on to create new families beyond our borders.

I have yet to find details about Majestic’s birthplace or parents in Toronto, but will followup with more details if we find them.  Until then, here is a bit more information from the Michigan Times about the banding of Majestic’s chick Maize in the summer of 2009, including a great photo of a Peregrine atop the North Bank Centre.

A Great Show by Cirrus
December 30, 2009 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:

Hello everyone and Happy New Year.

Yesterday Bill and I visited the Lift Bridge.  We arrived around 12:30 pm to meet Carol and Kathy from Rochester.   We found that the Parking Lot was closed, the area was fenced off and the bridge was reduced down to 2 lanes of traffic .  Looks like renovations have started on the Bridge.  Let’s hope that the construction will not have an effect on the Peregrines and that all the work is finished prior to mating season.

Carol and Kathy must have some magical powers because we were treated to a great show by Cirrus.  Unfortunately, we had not taken the camera out of the car so were unable to capture the action.  By the time Bill got back with the camera, all the action was over.  Carol did have her camera and hopefully, she will be able to share some of her shots.  When we arrived, Cirrus was enjoying a meal on the front face of the Hamilton Tower while Sir begged for scraps from the cables.  He eventually left the cables and perched on the very top corner of the Tower.  As far as we could tell, Cirrus did not share.  While we were watching, we noticed a Gull feeding on the Lake side of the peer.  Upon closer examination, it was a headless Pigeon, so we speculated that one of the Peregrines had dropped it.  After some preening, Cirrus left the face of the tower and flew directly over our heads and began to harass the Gull.  We then realized that it must have been a meal that Cirrus had dropped and was not happy that the Gull was enjoying her catch.  Cirrus flew around us and over us and every time she dive bombed the Gull.  After many attempts, she drove off the Gull and eventually gave up on trying to retrieve the Pigeon.  When we left, both birds we visible on the Hamilton Tower and the beheaded Pigeon was floating out to sea.

Great visit with Carol and Kathy who had to travel all the way from Rochester to get their Peregrine fix.

So this is where Carol is hiding....in Canada!  

[Donna]

 Flint Peregrine Majesty of Royal Descent
December 31, 2009 - International, National and Local News
Matt MacGillivray Reports:

While not of royalty, Majesty, incorrectly identified as Majestic in yesterdays post, the Flint Journal and Michigan Times, has a very special family tree for us at the CPF.

As noted in a post earlier this year by Frank, Majesty was born in 2002 at the 18 King St nest site to the first recorded Toronto nesting Peregrine pair in over 100 years.  The parents, Victoria and Pounce-Kingsley, were first monitored more than 12 years ago and were one of the inspirations for the creation of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.  They produced 29 offspring over 8 nesting seasons in downtown Toronto at the King St nest site, one of which was Majesty.

July 2002 -- Majesty and Viking settling down together for the night on the roof of the Richmond Hill Town Hall.

Majesty is the last known living relative of this inspirational Peregrine pair in Toronto.  While born in the King St nest site in 2002, Majesty and her siblings were relocated just outside the city in Richmond Hill as a result of the tragic loss of Victoria and Pounce-Kingsley that year.

Now, in 2009, Majesty has moved on to Flint Michigan to continue the cycle with Maize.  The family seems strong, having dealt with construction and a nest relocation earlier this year by MDNR.

Special thanks to Barb Baldinger, a Peregrine Falcon volunteer, of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, for correctly identifying Majesty from our previous post.

[Carol P.]

So this is where Carol is hiding....in Canada!  

Well, yeah.   

Cirrus and Sir are very active Peregrines and they're wintering at the bridge.  I really hope that the work being done on the birdge will not affect them.  That would be a shame.

We first saw a Ring-billed Gull chewing on a headless Pigeon floating on Lake Ontario near the pier.  Cirrus was finishing a Pigeon up on top of the tower, and like Sue reported, Sir was whining and kakking and stirring up the local Pigeons.

After Cirrus finished her meal, crop bulging, she decided to go after the floating Pigeon.  She flew over us and dove over and over on the gull that had been eating the Pigeon.  I was surprised to see that the Ring-billed Gull had been replaced by a Great Black Backed Gull!  When did that happen!   

Cirrus eventually chased off the gulls, but didn't attempt to get the Pigeon, which was now floating out further on the lake.

It was a great visit with some really nice folks.

Carol P.

[Dumpsterkitty]

So this is where Carol is hiding....in Canada!  

Well, yeah.   

Cirrus and Sir are very active Peregrines and they're wintering at the bridge.  I really hope that the work being done on the birdge will not affect them.  That would be a shame.

It was a great visit with some really nice folks.

Carol P.

Look what I found over on the CPF site!

http://tinyurl.com/ybpluld

[Donna]

 A Whole Lot of Work Going On
January 06, 2010 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Sue McCreadie Reports:

Bill and I took a quick trip to Buffalo this afternoon and while driving over the Skyway, we noticed a couple of large cranes in use.  I was sure that Sir and Cirrus would not be happy about this.  On the way home, around 3:00 pm, we stopped by the Lift Bridge.  To our surprise, the cranes had nothing to do with the work going on at the bridge but it was the Hydro, doing some work on the towers.  We found one bird on the nest ledge, but we were not successful in seeing the other one.

Here’s hoping that all this work does not have an effect on the 2010 season.  We will keep out eyes peeled.

[Donna]

Nov 25, 2009 - AWESOME NEWS!!! - Master Casper!

 "I haven't been able to access this page in a while but just checked and it worked"


It's very exciting to post today's report!!! I'd first like to give a HUGE thanks to Doug Round and Lisa Cavello who spotted one of our juveniles, and using the band ID and some detective work found me and passed their findings along.

Master Casper (35Y) was spotted north of the 401 near Winston Churchill in an industrial area. He was observed on the ground feasting on a feathery pigeon. Doug had the good fortune of snapping quite a few great shots from indoors, and even had a chance to get closer to Casper outside.

After spending a few minutes stripping feathers from his prey, Casper struggled to fly away with his catch, flying as low as 5 feet from the ground! Fortunately there were no trucks passing when Casper was making his getaway.

Again, thanks so much to Doug and Lisa for contacting me!! This is a great example of how helpful the ID bands are in tracking the whereabouts of our feathered friends.

It's awesome to see one of our juveniles thriving out in the wild urban world, way to go Master Casper!

This was in November...who knows now.

Dec 24, 2009 - Merry Christmas!!

Mom was spotted today, and other than that I just wanted to wish all our falcon followers a Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

It should be interesting to see what transpires in 2010, hopefully our male makes it back to the area upon his release in the spring. Any details will be shared as they emerge.

Cheers!
Mathew

[Donna]

http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/2010/01/sightings/overcast-windy-and-perhaps-a-few-degrees-below-zero-warning-peregrine-feeding-2/

[Carol P.]

http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/2010/01/sightings/overcast-windy-and-perhaps-a-few-degrees-below-zero-warning-peregrine-feeding-2/

Cirrus and Sir are quite the active pair.  A lot of fun to watch.

Carol P.

[Donna]

!!! Diana is still on territory despite the bitter cold temps.
January 12, 2010 - Ottawa - Crowne Plaza
CPF Postmaster Reports:

Yesterday afternoon, around 4pm, I saw Diana on the south face of the Coats Building. She was pretty fluffed up but was looking around, not for hunting. I have no idea where Connor was, as I then passed around the Crowne but he wasn’t there.

Eve Ticknor


!!! Overlooking her domain
December 04, 2009 - Scarborough - Yellow Pages  (Posted today)
CPF Postmaster Reports:

With much thanks to Lev for his quick action, he was able to snap these two photos of the resident adult female roosting on the Telus building the first week of December. The photos clearly show that at least the resident adult female is still on territory and did not migrate south for the winter, and that food is still abundant given the size of her filled crop. Thanks Lev and Kyle for bringing these photos to our attention.
Posted on January 14, 2010 1:24 pm
Observation for Scarborough - Yellow Pages

[Donna]

!!! Hanging Around
January 26, 2010 - Toronto - Mount Sinai Hospital
Linda Woods Reports:

Tuesday of this week, I was in the University Ave. and College St area and notice that the peregrines are sitting tight on the east side ledges of Mt.Sinai Hospital. One bird was there for most of the day.

[Donna]

Feb 4, 2010 - Two adults - a regular day...

Every morning so far this week, two adult falcons are being seen at the south end of the property. They seem to prefer the south end for some reason, not sure how much time they're spending at the regular nest ledge area but I'm personally not seeing them there much.

[Donna]

 $2,500 Fine And Hunting Ban For Shooting Bald Eagle
February 11, 2010 - International, National and Local News
Matt MacGillivray Reports:

Did you know that most (if not all) raptors are protected by law?  In Ontario, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act protects hunting, trapping, or disturbing nests of most raptors including Peregrine Falcons.  Most Canadian provinces and US states have a similar law.  Breaking this law in Ontario can result in a fine up to $25,000 or a year in prison.  A similar law, the Canadian National Parks Act, covers National Parks and can issue fines of up to $150,000 for disturbing birds including Peregrine Falcons, Gyrfalcons, Piping Plovers or Whooping Cranes.

If you stick to common sense, you will never be the subject of a Ministry of Natural Resources news story, as Shawn Bowes was earlier this year -

A Thunder Bay man has been fined $2,500 and prohibited from hunting for three years for shooting and killing a bald eagle.  Shawn A. Bowes pleaded guilty to charges under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.  The eagle carcass was forfeited to the Crown.  Bowes’ firearm was seized by conservation officers and will be returned once his fine is paid.

Court heard that on June 1, 2009, conservation officers investigated a report of gunfire at Bowes’ property and discovered a decaying bald eagle carcass in his yard.  Bowes admitted to shooting the eagle in the summer of 2008. The bald eagle is a specially protected raptor under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, and is protected from being hunted or trapped throughout Ontario.  Bald eagles are also considered a species of special concern under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. Justice of the Peace Ray Zuliani heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Thunder Bay, on August 5, 2009.

To report a natural resources violation, you can call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (1-877-847-7667) toll-free anytime or contact your local MNR office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

News story courtesty of MNR on August 27, 2009.

ETOBICOKE NEWS

!!! Angel doing well!
February 13, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:

With reports of a possible skirmish between two raptors in the vicinity last evening, I decided to take a trip out to the site today to check on Angel.  I found her dozing peacefuly on her usual perch.  She has been visible at the site on a daily basis the past few weeks, in spite of the cold temperatures.

Her errant mate did pay a visit on Monday and there was some vocalization between them however no signs of any courtship rituals at all compared to last year at this time.  He seems to be spending the bulk of his time at his other site the past few weeks and with news that the former resident male there will be extending his stay in rehab past mating season - I expect he will definitely be nesting there this year.

The question is will he attempt to nest here as well or can we expect a new mate for Angel.  It is still early days and I expect in the next few weeks we should know the answer to that question as Angel is usually the first to lay her eggs in the city.

Stay tuned…

[Donna]

!!! Jack Makes an Entrance!
February 16, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:

Lunch time today and suddenly pigeons were flying in all directions, including right into each other and as I looked up there was Jack scaring them up.  Angel was awaiting him at the nest box so that is both adults accounted for.  I guess this is his weekly check-in, at least he’s smart enough to bring take out!

!!! Interesting Behaviour
February 19, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:

Jack our resident male falcon has been here several times this week.  He is currently outside doing some impressive flying and chupping alot to Angel.  Wish I could speak Peregrine and understand what he is saying … has courtship begun or is he just complaining about the weather?!

[Donna]

!!! Spring in the air again?
March 01, 2010 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Robert Williams Reports:

It’s that time of year again, the nesting cycle is starting up!  I’ve had a report that the pair of peregrines were copulating on the overhead wires in the middle of the bridge.  With all the work and fuss down at the bridge, it’s good to see this, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they will stick around and nest successfully at this site again this year.