Other Peregrine Projects > Canadian Peregrines
ON / Kitchener - 2016-19
carly:
Kitchener cam is live. No clue who is there this year what with Lucifer passing away last year.
http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/back-for-another-year-ctv-peregrine-falcon-cam-streaming-live-1.2313835
The Peregrine Chick:
I had a look back through the timeline here, and 92 days isn't necessarily too short a time in care, especially since a month before his release he was able to fly 50ish feet horizontally in his flight cage and being able to fly/launch vertically to the perch where he's sitting in the cage is even more difficult and taxing on the wing. Had the bird been kept over the winter, he wouldn't necessarily get any better, just more practised over short distances/heights. Keeping him past the migration period probably would have meant holding him until just before spring migration - so another 5 months. I know Kitchener has prey all winter long but it is very likely that he would have headed south and would have had to rely on whatever prey he could find en-route - not so easy in the winter. If he had stayed in the area he would have had to get back up to speed hunting in an urban environment, which is pretty challenging even though there is a a consistent food source.
It sucks that Lucifer was lost particularly as he was young and seemingly doing well, but it is entirely possible that it was just an accident, one that could have happened to any peregrine - recovering from injury or not.
Of course, I don't know the bird or the rehabbers, so these are just my thoughts.
carly:
If I hear anything I will most certainly update you here. This loss is particularly heartbreaking because Lucifer was born at a bridge nest site and the survival rate there for offspring isn't very good. Lucifer was the first offspring to be heard of surviving in the many years his dad Mac has been nesting at the bridge.
I think he was released far too soon after that serious an injury and surgery but they were a small operation and didn't have the experience or means to keep him longer to get him back to peak condition - which I didn't find out until later. And to be released in a hostile situation didn't help matters but it is what it is and nothing will bring him back. If I had known that at the time I would have offered to pay to have him transferred to OWL who have rehabilitated many of our falcons but it is what it is.
At least he died a free bird - that's what I console myself with. He did leave behind 3 kids - very small and underweight but miracles do happen and maybe someday we will hear of one of them. I am grateful that Mystery has a new mate, she went hungry many times trying to feed those babies in the relentless heat on her own. It's thanks to her tenacity that they survived to fledge. It can be such a hard life out there for them.
burdi:
--- Quote from: carly on September 17, 2018, 19:00 ---Just posted, Lucifer is dead :'( :'( :'(
Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge
11 mins
It is with great sadness we have to announce that I just received a picture via text confirming the death of the Kitchener Peregrine Falcon that we released last week.
I am unsure on how or why he died at the moment.
--- End quote ---
Thank you to Carly and Alison for following Lucifer’s progress and posting the updates; I’m so sorry to hear that he was found deceased. :'(
Lucifer must have felt such relief to be able to fly so high and be free again, and I imagine he was anxious to be with his mate again ... but far too soon, it was all over ... :'(
And I can't help considering that Lucifer might have been in a fight with Mystery's new mate, though we may never know what actually caused of his death. However, if any further information should be found, I hope it will be shared here.
birdbrain:
Oh no, that’s very sad.
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