Okay I am going to say this with the risk of being stoned by phanatics but I think this ledge is a great place for them to be raised! okay my reason is I believe this is an easier ledge for them to get back and forth to after fledging then the west nest would be. If I remember correctly when the birds fledged from west nest they never returned where we could see them again. Correct me if I am wrong TPC.
Actually this ledge is the most dangerous nestsite they use - its open so the chicks are in danger from the elements (the nestbox is more sheltered and one third of the box is covered by a roof) and they are too low to safely fledge most years. Actually, every year they have fledged we have had injured or killed birds - and a much higher rate than from the rooftop sites. Lastly, they are on the east side of the Hotel which means they fledge to the east. In other years, I have had birds take their first flights and end up in the complex winds at Portage and Main (there is always wind at that corner, even on "windless" days) and they have been killed when thrown against the buildings there. And I have no way to help them if there should be a problem - swingstages are expensive ($2,000 each trip), you have to book a tentative date in advance, and then wait for the equipment to be finished on another job, even with a tentative date and you can't use it in bad weather - that is winds over 20km/h or storming weather. So, sorry Friesens
this is the worst location on the Radisson for the birds to nest from a recovery perspective. It may make for great video, but its not as safe as the roof for the chicks and/or the adults.
Chicks usually return to their nestsite for short periods or for the night, but in 2007, the winds were so strong and dangerous, they found safer (big flat roofs) to hang out on. If the birds were in the nestbox this year, you would see them on the ledge after fledging much more frequently because of the light winds we have had so far ...
