Manitoba Peregrines > Bell Tower, Edmonton, Alberta

Bell Tower - 2017 / B32 & Squeak

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bev.:
peter and i will take a break from  WEber and go down to Bell area.  a possible sighting of our female. a fired in a building nearby, thought they saw her up high, which would be great news. She was about 4 stories when she first left ledge, but hat was becasue she was not ready.

and we will go with Gords theroy , no news is good news

bev.:
thanks Tracy. I was just coming to post this. th e other  chick is on a lower  roof and is fine an d i s being fed by adults. We are  not disclosing where, for  safety, but we have someone watching.

unfortunately , on e slipped off while stretching early morning and  the other late the next night . they  went too soon but the one that is being fed should be ready to fly now

the one that was found in alley, did not go there from the ledge. It was found a few streets over from its ledge. It had to have wandered there.  the ledge does ot face any alleys. glad it did not wander into busy street in front

The Peregrine Chick:
At-risk baby falcon falls 31 storeys, gets new chance at life
'It’s a threatened species so every life matters,' falconer says.
Anna Desmarais  |  CBC News   |  Jul 08, 2017



After falling 31 storeys from the top of Edmonton's Bell Tower, a baby peregrine falcon is being given a new chance at life. The baby bird, its wings spread out like a parachute, spiraled all the way down into an alleyway Wednesday night. A concerned citizen saw the bird, grabbed a box, and called peregrine falcon expert Gordon Court.

"I had the easy job," Court said Friday. "Fortunately, she didn't hit anything on the way down or she'd be in a lot worse shape than she is." The bird has only one scrape on its forehead, a small scar to remind it of the fall. Court brought the large box to Pembina River, an hour from Edmonton's downtown, along a strip of private land ideal for peregrine falcons. Soaring cliffs, river beds and lush wildlife all attract the birds to the area during the summer.


The bird sits on a log waiting to shed its down feathers before taking its first real flight. (Anna Desmarais/CBC )

The peregrine falcon is an at-risk bird in the province of Alberta. The species was at the brink of extinction after the overuse of pesticides between the 1950s and 1970s but through the efforts of falconers like Court, the population has rebounded.

"It's a threatened species so every life matters," he said. "It's one strike and you're out. If you hit the ground in the city, you come out here."

There are eight pairs of peregrine falcons scattered around the Edmonton area, roosting on tall buildings instead of cliffs. Falconer Steve Schwartz believes they've migrated to the cities because food is readily available. These birds mate once a year and produce four or five babies, making it difficult to regenerate its population.

"This nesting site is probably responsible for saving these peregrines at one point or another," Schwartz said. 


Falconer Steve Schwartz takes the newly rescued bird out of its box (Anna Desmarais/CBC )

The baby bird is currently living in a small, white box on the side of a cliff with a view of the river. For five days, the bird will be growing and shedding its down feathers, preparing for its first flight. Schwartz comes to the box everyday, and leaves smaller birds as food. He said he hopes this practice will teach the falcons that the natural environment has more prey than the cities - and will ultimately keep them alive.

"We don't want them to leave [the cities] necessarily," he said. "We just want future generations to occupy more suitable nest sites in wild places like this along rivers and waterways." When the bird finally takes to the skies, Schwartz said it's possible it could end up in Argentina, Chile, or even parts of Japan.


source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/new-life-peregrine-falcon-falls-31-stories-1.4195875

bev.:
I will up date when I have a moment and you can see that PB has been nasty to all o f us an d will not let our picture show anymore, so later today, I will bring over some slideshows I did to compensate

anyway you are getting  this first hand now, from  eyes that were there.

it was at banding that we noticed we had a different femlae.  M49. we are excited to have another Manitoba bird, although Bell is not a good site for birds to fledge , the adults seem to think it is tops.

the male is a 2015 hatch from  Weber , Alberta. He is B over  32 . What a nice surprise for me to see him face to face again. We saw him on cam at end of season, last year , at Agrium  . so he went to visit the home  of his father DO1. He is the son of Green girl, and Do1 . Green girl is the daughter of Radisson  and Chase at U of A. ( what a tangled web we weave.

I have pictures of both birds from banding and Dennis has  kindly shared some of  M49 when she was young so I will do  a slide show of that in a bit. I am in middle of watch right now so just know I will be back with photos

will be back later with more

carly:
Great news!  Thanks for the info TPC!  :D

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