ON / Hamilton - Sheraton Hotel - 2008-21

[bcbird]

Ballywing, your comments for your pictures are such fun!

[ballywing]

TWO AWAY!!! June 19, 2010 - At exactly 07:00 today, Saturday, Joseph took off on his first flight. He was quickly joined by Peter, and the two of them settled down for a chat on the upper structure of the Standard Life building. Details to follow. Here we go!!!!

"I'M Gonna go find Peter & Joseph!!..."  

 

[ballywing]

FLYING ON HIS OWN!

June 18, 2010 - Falconwatch Coordinator Brad Asseltine reports: Peter was once again the center of attention on today's watch. Although he is only two days out of the nest, when watching him fly you might think him to be an old pro. Around 11:30 this morning he left the 15th floor of the Stelco tower and flew north, circled west and gained enough altitude to make it onto the roof of the Stelco tower. After that he could be seen throughout the day flying high over the city or perched on the roofs of the Stelco tower, the Fairclough building and the BDC Building . On a few occasions he was even joined by Madame X and Surge in flight. On two occasions this evening we saw all three of them flying together; after the second time he was rewarded with his own private meal on the Fairclough building. Then around 21:00 Peter landed right in front of me on the window ledge of the 22nd floor where I was lucky enough to get the close-up pictures at left. What a charge!!!
 
Henderson and Joseph are both behaving in ways that suggest either could leave the nest at any minute. Oh, and we can't forget little Chedoke, who is not looking so little any more; he is even browner and was up on the ledge exercising a lot today.



When chicks fly is a complex matter of age, development, weight and confidence. The fact no-one has followed Peter yet suggests that his first flight may have been more wind assisted than intentional, but there's no doubt that when he did go he was the most flight-capable of the four.

[Kinderchick]

Joseph fledged at 7am this morning...

Great news, bev!

[bev.]

Joseph fledged at 7am this morning andCheroke seems to have changed overnight

[ballywing]

"Hey Pete, you comin' back over here or what"...



(Chedoke sure has changed in the last couple days!! Not much fluff left!)  

[ballywing]

The little one is coming along, can get up on the Ledge now!  

6-15-10...CHEDOKE MAKES IT TO THE LEDGE!

[ballywing]

GETTING UP IN THE WORLD!

June 17, 2010 - Falconwatch Coordinator Brad Asseltine reports: Another day of anxious waiting for Falconwatchers. This morning Peter was perched right where we left him at dusk last night, on the lower roof of the Thompson building overlooking the Copps Coliseum plaza (image at left). After a move to the lower roof of the Sheraton and two very good but unsuccessful attempts to get to the top of Thompson, he landed back on Thompson's lower roof where he stayed for most of the day, flying a bit and walking back and forth. Then, shortly after 20:00 this evening, Peter surprised us all when he suddenly lifted off and flew east over the city centre, circled back a couple of times gaining altitude and finally made a very soft landing on the northwest corner of the Stelco tower's 15th floor. Way to go Peter!! Back at the ranch, siblings Henderson and Joseph have yet to take to the air more than a few inches above the ledge, and Chedoke is only rarely seen on the ledge. We'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.
 

[ballywing]

PETER'S FIRST FLIGHT - FALCONS BY SKYPE

June 16, 2010 - Falconwatch Coordinator Brad Asseltine reports: If you checked the webcam in the later part of this afternoon you may have noticed one chick missing from the picture. Where's Peter? Well, at 16:20 Peter made his first flight from the nest. We're not sure if it was completely voluntary or if the strong winds 'persuaded' him it was time to go, but off he went. Accompanied by Madame X he did a lap around the Sheraton and looked good doing it. When he couldn't quite make it back up onto the Sheraton he landed on the Thompson building next door instead. The image at left shows Peter seconds before he lifted off. Once on the Thompson building he walked and flew back and forth on the roof for several hours. In the end he decided not to try a second flight today and to spend his first night away from home. Don't worry though, Mom and Dad aren't far away. Sooner or later, most likely sooner, his siblings will be joining him on his adventures away from the nest. Joseph and Henderson are showing signs of restlessness and even little Chedoke, who was back on the ledge again today, was flapping up a storm (of down feathers). They grow up so fast. Just 42 days ago they were eggs, and now they're starting to fly.



This wasn't the only excitement today. As the 20+ participants in the Hamilton Naturalists' Club Wednesday Night Walk learned more about Peregrines and then viewed Peter close-up from the Copps Coliseum plaza with Lead Monitor Audrey Gamble, Senior Monitor Mike Street and Falconwatcher Norma Bingham were conducting a 40-minute 'Show, tell and question' session with students on the other side of the world. They were connected by Skype through a small computer sitting on the hood of a car in the school board parking lot across the street from the Sheraton Hamilton. (Isn't technology amazing?) With the Hamilton Falconwatch website full-screen on the Smartboard in their classroom as a backdrop, more than a dozen children in Mr. Bayaziti's Grade 3 class at Gulfview Heights Primary school near Adelaide, South Australia heard first how in the 1950s and '60s Peregrines in eastern North America were wiped out by the effects of the pesticide DDT, and then how the reintroduction program launched by the governments of Canada and the United States has been so successful. Each of the Australian kids then asked a very well thought out question and got replies from Norma and Mike. The exchange will continue in the fall when Norma's Grade 5-6 class at St. George-German School connects directly with the class in Australia.

[Kinderchick]

Great news, Elaine!  Hope all is well with his/her flight.

[Elaine L]

The latest news about the chicks at the Sheraton in Hamilton:

STOP THE PRESS!!! FIRST CHICK TAKES FLIGHT! June 16, 2010 - At 16:20 this afternoon the first chick of 2010 left the Sheraton ledge and flew out over King Street. It landed a few minutes later on the adjacent Thompson building and seems just fine. We think it was Peter but will confirm as son as we can. Stay tuned!

[ballywing]

UPDATE

ANOTHER GOOD DAY FOR MADAME X
 


June 14, 2010 - Falconwatch Coordinator Brad Asseltine reports: This is an exiting time for Falconwatchers, anxiously watching and waiting for the first chick to leave the nest. I had a special treat today as both Surge and Madame X, on separate occasions, perched right in front of me on the window ledge of the Stelco tower. They truly are magnificent creatures. What was not quite so beautiful was Madame X casting a pellet right in front of me. Eeew! Just in case you don't know, birds of prey don't waste much when it comes to food. They eat their prey, fur or feathers, bones and all, then later regurgitate the indigestible bits in a nice compact little package called a "pellet". During this visit I was able to get the picture of her at left. Around 14:30 Madame X dove from the ledge and caught a big pigeon so low over King Street that, with the extra weight, she had a hard time regaining altitude and just cleared the walkway that crosses the street. She then took her prize back to Stelco to "prepare" it, having a good meal herself before taking the remainder over to the chicks.

[ballywing]

UPDATE

CHEDOKE COMING ALONG NICELY
 


June 13, 2010 - Falconwatch Coordinator Brad Asseltine reports: There were some tense moments today while watching the chicks exercising on the ledge. Peter and Joseph are now strong enough to slide themselves backwards with their flapping. More than once I watched them flap themselves to the King Street edge of the ledge and then hop back to safety at the last second. They are flapping their wings for longer periods of time, as well as running and hopping while flapping, which is a sign they will be taking their first flights soon. Even 'baby' Chedoke could be seen flapping his wings, showing almost completely brown flight feathers (image at left, taken at 20:15 this evening), throughout the day. Now we wait.....

[ballywing]

UPDATE

HOW DO YOU LIKE MY PANTALOONS?



June 12, 2010 - Falconwatch Coordinator Brad Asseltine reports: Today was another day of eat, sleep and exercise for the chicks and hunting for the adults. At different times Madame X was seen in pursuit of a Mourning Dove and a Rock Pigeon. I saw her tap the pigeon and think that was the 19:30 meal. The youngsters continue to strengthen and develop, and get darker. The contrast between juvenile brown and the white of natal down is quite visble in the image of Joseph - yellow band on still blue feet - at left, taken at 07:08 this morning. The white 'pantallons' on his upper legs will be gone in a few days.

The oldest three, Peter, Henderson and Joseph, are getting closer and closer to the edge of the ledge and flapping up a storm, sending puffs of down drifting to the street below. This also makes it easier to catch a glimpse of them from the sidewalks below; if you happen to pass by during a feeding you will most likely be able to hear the uproar in the nest above. Now that the birds are on the ledge they will be flying soon (Peregrine's first flights usually take place between 39 and 49 days old, depending on how heavy they are. Peter, the oldest, is 37 days old today.) At 05:00 tomorrow, Sunday, June 13, Falconwatch 2010's street watch will begin. Volunteers will be on site until dark every day until the chicks are fledged.

[ballywing]

UPDATE

LINE DANCING ANYONE?



June 11, 2010 - Falconwatch Coordinator Brad Asseltine reports: Early today Henderson finally got back up on the ledge to join her brothers Peter and Joseph. This is the first time all three have been seen on the ledge together. The image at left, with Chedoke - note his all dark flight feathers - still in the nest behind them, was taken at 06:52 this morning. By the end of the day they were all looking quite comfortable side by side. The hot sun made it another lazy afternoon in the nest, but there was plenty of exercising, preening and stretching towards evening. The four are getting stronger every minute. All of the wing flapping is convincing me that it won't be long until we start calling the chicks "fledglings". What's a fledgling? A fledgling is a young bird that has recently become capable of flight, learned whatever its parents have tried to teach it, and left the nest. Soon we will have four of them.