U of Alberta - 2008 / Damon & Radisson

[JL]

Bev, thanks for being our Peregrine Reporter.  I'm glad Cassie is okay.  Strange that between at least 4 or 5 of us watching, nobody saw her got blown off the nest roof.  I guess the only ones that saw were Mom and Dad which I'm glad.  Cassie was lucky that the wind wasn't blowing the other way - which was a long way down.  Looks like she's got a bit more space to roam and explore down where she is now.  I hope there's a bit of cover down there that will shelter her in case the weather gets nasty. 

Have a great day down at the U of A, take care of that wasp sting.   

[bev.]

My apologies Carly,

i hope everything is O.K. your way with that explosion you had.
Is it not funny how we think of our birds immediately I believe one of the new young females is from Rochester .. Mark Nash mentioned it in an e-mail.  If she is till there next year you will have 2 young females from Rochester in your area.

We are on our way.

Sorry we are later leaving today.

[maggieblue]

WOW Bev.  What a day for you and for Cassie!  Thank you so much for letting us know what is going on when you must be exhausted. It is great that you have such a supportive family.   I wish that I could be there.  Hopefully you can connect with some people in Edmonton who will help with the fledge watch next year.  Now that we can't see her we will depend on your reports.  Hope everything goes well today

[carly]

Thanks so much for your detailed reports, sounds like you guys had as exciting a day as our Cassie!

Have a good day today and we'll be rooting for our girl to make a safe flight if she does decide this is the day!

[bev.]

In this report , things will get fuzzy as I lost it at one point


We did not always know who was who but we guessed by actions sometimes and when not know for sure I just put Adult. I thought I knew but just in case.

17:30 
dad made a food drop on moms building and then flew back on his antennae
Female flies away from nest building and circles and comes back and then goes back to her building and starts feeding or tearing
Cassie is still picking her carcass

Note:
 the clouds had  moved off and it was hot but breezy. now the clouds are coming back and it is very gusty at times. Husband broke his lawn chair trying to save mine from blowing away during one of my needed quick breaks

18:45
mom has been at her building and dad on his antennae and Cassie flapping at times and eating and almost being blown off a few times. I think she scared herself a few times as she let out a cack
-Adult on a perch just below roof  (the roof is just below nest box. I mentioned this before)
then adult perches on roof of new building. E is cacking the whole time

I believe the adult is trying to get Cassie to get off the roof of nest box as a storm is coming in. If  she goes to roof below nest box or small flight over to new building, she will be fine. My husband was on roof of new building and said there would be lots of protection for her.

18:50
adult flies off roof of new building and then back on again and then on roof of nest box and then on roof  of building adjacent to nest box
Cassie is cacking


This where my official report stops . and I make assumptions now.

I am not sure what happened . we were watching all this , and my daughter phoned on the cell phone and Peter put his head down for a moment and I saw Cassie eating and I reached in my bag and then looked up and no Cassie.
 that is how quick things happen. we looked and looked.  I could hear her and ran over to building and knew she was on the roof just below the  nest box  . even if she fell it was not a great drop. but I was worried. Mom was immediately there looking down into the roof ledge.
 I was hoping some of you caught it.  My husband thinks a gust of wind blew her down but we are not sure at this point. she sounded shocked. it was silent for a bit and that is when I called university security and then went off to  the top floor of building. and looked out a window.  I could see mom but not on the darn roof because of the ledge. I did  not want to go out on the roof and risk spooking Casie so I just prayed  and phoned the biologist(who was out of town.). He said all was probably fine and to phone someone else . I left a message with them.

anyhow I came back downstairs.  Have any of you ever dealt with campus security.  I got the 3rd degree by this youngster an assured him I was O.K. His boss approved it and had my name and number etc. etc.  I tole him he could speak to my husband if he wanted who was an RCMP and then then he left me alone. I understand they have their jobs but....

When I came down  and got back to where we were sitting mom flew up to the roof of the nest box and Cassie hopped up on ledge of the roof belwo the nest box and her wings fanned beside her.  So  when we left everything appeared fine. I talked to Cassie and told her to stay put for the night at least and i would be back to check on her today. We did have a major storm last night but it is clear today .
will have to bring a new lawn chair

Now I will wake up my saint of a husband , and curl my hair and we will head out.  No promises, but i will do my best.

[bev.]

Part 11

I must start by saying Tim Hortons served as well yesterday :)We started off our morning with coffee and muffins(low fat for me )

We had BLT sandwich for lunch and the Mac store had all our junk needs(oops did I say junk )  My grandson and son-in-law and dog came to visit. It was a picnic of sorts.
I wish I could see this all through the eyes of a child.  I told him Grandma did not think that Cassie was quite ready yet. His reply was: well , if she wants to that is just he way it is.

12:30
-Cassie has been flapping her wings

12:40
-Dad just(assume he went hunting) flew beyond nest box and away
-Mom still where she was
-cassie is settled down on roof

12:45
Cassie is eating

14:00
- all has been calm (a few washroom breaks for us but always making sure someone was looking)
-Cassie has been wing flapping off and on bu twill not move back to the perch.she keeps eying it but no cigar.
Mom is still on her spot and Dad is still gone

14:10
An adult is just perched on top side of building roof adjacent to the nest box

14:12
Adult flew off and around the area and then landed on perch of box and then on roof of nest box

14:13
Adult flew around again and again and landed  on roof adjacent to nest box roof and a bit further away than before

14:16
adult on roof of nest box again and then soars off to left and out
Cassie is cacking the whole time

Note:  We did not always know which adult it was .  Our main concern was to keep Cassie in view at all times

14:45
 noticed that both adults  on mom s building(one near the top ,in shade and the other had not moved from earlier, further down.-Cassie is on cam and looking out

15:40
Cassie has been lying down at back of roof and adults have been at their building
Adult flies off bottom balcony and makes concentric circles around building and then lands on front of building (facing the street, in the sun.) Adult then flies up high and moves closer to nest building and then over new building(all the while she has a smaller bird diving at her)
15:50
other adult(dad??) leaves like a bat out of H--- over the nest building out of sight. It might have been a hawk and  he was making sure it was away from area???

Cassie did not stir as far as we could see.(enjoying the shade and breeze)

16:30
Just saw an adult soaring behind the nest building. Cassie is in back left corner of roof(phoned my son-in-law to confirm)

16:55
Just saw an adult back on shady side of balcony building where they have been most of the day

17:00
 Cassie is up and flapping and cacking
Adult is up on antennae on dads building
Adult on other building gone so that is what Cassie probably reacted to(she can see everything from where she is)

17:10
no Adult on antennae
F on ledge just below roof below nest box(this is the roof that Cassie was banded on. It is just below nest box. Mom is on a ledge jut below that. will post pictures later)
E was flapping but now eating

17:15
-an adult just flew over top of nest building
-cassie is looking down at adult below

part 111 on another post

[carly]

Your reports are never boring Bev and in fact it's quite a relief to read them.  It fills in the blanks of what we were watching yesterday, you always see her looking around and cacking and can only speculate at what she is seeing - now we know 

I think we are also feeling much better knowing where she is now and that both mom and dad are watching over her so diligently.  Otherwise we would imagine all kinds of horrible scenarios - and drive ourselves crazy..hehe!  Now we know she's safe and that's the most important thing.

Sorry to hear about the wasp sting  , the things we go through for the love of our peregrines  .  Thank you so much for looking after them for us.  We cant' be with you in person but we are all with you in spirit 

I'm exhausted this morning too, was awoken at 3:45 am to what I thought was the loudest thunder I'd ever heard.  Turns out it was explosions at a propane plant of some sort..it's all over the news this morning.  The first thing I did was a mental run through of where our peregrine pairs are located in the city and as far as I know there are none there but there is a brand new pair of juvies near the area but I'm not sure where.  A pair of juveniles only 1 year old have set up a territory there this year and were courting all summer so hopefully if all goes well for them and they come back next spring, we will have a new pair to celebrate. 

[bev.]

I am up and I prayed that Cassies stayed put after I left and that she does well.

I will let my husband sleep for a bit more and I just finally washed my hair. 

I am not sure how to write up this report as it is long but so far we have nothing to watch so I will just write it by time.

when we go today ,if the same security guards are there , that were there Yesterday(for the new building) I will end my husband up an dhe can see if she is still on roof and we will go from there. 

We should be able to tell form the adults where she is but it may take  a while

I cannot stay as long today as my husband goes out of town early tomorrow but will stay as long as I can

I will say that it was very interesting.  and relaxing at the same time.  I got stung by a wasp right off and my whole upper leg is red and a bit swollen but for Cassie, anything.

Here goes : The times are approximate as I did not always write as it happened , i wastoo busy watching

Morning Aug 9, 2008 

09:50
- Have been here since just before 09:00 and watching Cassie flapping away and then lying on the roof
-Dad was on the antennae of his building and I did not see mom 
-Dad now off his antennae
-At about 09:40  Cassie was cacking and flapping as an Adult was doing several sweeping flybys with prey, I think it was mom(we always assume mom  but after yesterday it was both)
-My husband is up on the roof across from the nest box with security guard so he has camera and security guards have binoculars
-I spotted mom on the 5th balcony down on her building eating and defeathering (so it might have been dad that did flybys on way to deliver prey to mom)
Dad is on same building now and is above mom (just below first window ledge form the top)  It is shady on this side and this is where they would spend a great part of the day
-After mom prepared bird , she called to  Cassie for about 15 minutes

10:12
Mom flew off the ledge and flew past Cassie with prey and then straight out to the left . she did not go back and I could not see her after(assuming she  was in area of her site)Dad stayed put

10:15
-An Adult flew across to nest box site and sat on top of roof just above Cassie(in pictures of the building you can see they are sort of narrow towers). We will post some pictures later.
-Cassie was flapping and cacking
- adult stayed for a bit and then flew back to the antennae on dads building(assuming it was dad)

10:30
-A flew from antennae  and landed on area on roof just adjacent to nest box

10:45
- A flew back to moms building below the first middle window room the top(shady)
There is a bit of a breeze now.

11:25
Adult makes a few passes by with food and lands under light just adjacent form nest box
- E almost flaps off the roof of box
- Adult circles again and then drops food off for Cassie and leaves

11:27
Adult goes back to moms building on ledge above 1st window from top
They are both there now
- they  are both calling Cassie

Note: this is where they eventually want Cassie to be

12:00
-Cassie is lying down on roof of nestbox and breeze has really picked up and it is getting cloudy
-Adults stay where they are(shady)

Note:
when my husband was up on roof across from Cassie he said it is cool up
there and there was a nice breeze so she is O.K. He said Cassie can see everything form up there.  she can see exactly where adults are at all times and has a clear flight path .

I will stop to dry my hair and then write the afternoon.
I hope I am not boring you. I just want you to have a sense of what was happening
 

[carly]

7:33 am EST and the nest box is quiet and empty, so strange not to see our girl there this morning.  Hopefully she had a restful night.

[bev.]

By the way she has not fledged.  Just had a little misstep along the way.

[bev.]

Good evening everyone.

Well I had to stop off at my daughters and I am just exhausted!!
If you do not mind  will write up a report first thing in the morning . I was there for over 11 hours and  need some sleep becasue I hope to be there all day tomorrow also. I do have to pack hubby sometime also

I will say it was an interesting day and that little miss just was not ready to go.  they tried their darnedest. and wouldn't you know it , I bend over and my husband looks at the cell to take a call and she was gone.  I heard her so I knew she was on the roof directly below the box.  Mom was there instantly. I panicked and phoned security to get up to the top floor in the building.  All I could see was mom and I did not  dare go on the roof as I would spook Cassie. I di want to make sure she was O.K.

so I went back down and then mom went on the nest box roof and Cassie popped up  on the ledge of the roof below. 
I left at about 20:00 Alberta time and she was sitting with her wings folded and Mom was on the roof. I am sure she had enough excitement for the day.  We kind of think  a gust of wind blew her down as she was feeding. she had a few near misses today as the wind started to pick up.

A storm is really brewing but i am sure she will be fine .  she is probably better there. The perch is better to fly from but she can do it form there also.

and it may have been hot on the ground but my husband went up on the roof across from Cassie with security and it was nice and cool and breezy up there.

boy, I get long winded but I am out and will let you know everything tomorrow.  she just was not ready today

Good night

[ballywing]

Me too Alison - I had no clue how crowded that area was, how urban and surrounded by concrete & glass - don't know why I imagined a setting like Elk River - with open spaces below  - well such is the life of urban nesting falcons I guess. Yikes. 

[Alison]

Then Mom landed on top of the nest box:





Bev, thank you so much for your reports and for all the great pics.  I really appreciated the pics of the surrounding area and buildings. I don't like the look of these new buildings, with all the large areas of glass. I hope Cassie stays safe.

[Alison]

These are the last pics I have of Cassie before she fledged. After the last pic, she was gone.

[Alison]

A little later . . .