McKenzie Seeds - 2012 / Brooklyn & Hurricane

[RCF]

As for the black/red bird, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a) s/he is still around downtown tomorrow and b) you and your camera are able to visit.  No pressure though, real life, especially on a Thanksgiving Weekend, has to take precedence!

We didn't see any falcons at either place today , so I guess they have migrated.  The only excitement for us was a Red-tailed hawk that landed on the McKenzie and Scotia buildings and it actually took a few dives at the pigeons. 

[RCF]

Thanks RCF - glad to think that Dennis and I weren't talking to Hurricane and calling her by the wrong name!! 

As for the black/red bird, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a) s/he is still around downtown tomorrow and b) you and your camera are able to visit.  No pressure though, real life, especially on a Thanksgiving Weekend, has to take precedence!

I will be checking today but there was no birdie yesterday and I just saw gulls at the Tower site, not even a Raven.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Thanks RCF - glad to think that Dennis and I weren't talking to Hurricane and calling her by the wrong name!! 

As for the black/red bird, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a) s/he is still around downtown tomorrow and b) you and your camera are able to visit.  No pressure though, real life, especially on a Thanksgiving Weekend, has to take precedence!

[RCF]

Might even be that the bird we saw a week ago wasn't Hurricane

I am very sure the bird you saw on that Saturday was Hurricane.    I also saw her that morning and afternoon on the north side of the Scotia building.  They all have their own distinguishing features and I think you would probably recognize Princess just by looking at her and would know the difference from another falcon better than anyone. It would be the same with Hurricane for me and I pretty much saw Hurricane everyday for six months.  I knew right away the bird with the black /red band was not Hurricane.  My very first thought was it's Brooklyn because Hurricane is very dark on the breast and not white like the birdie that I saw yesterday.  Another reason is I have never seen Hurricane sit on a window sill on the Scotia building, only on the east or west Scotia sign and the north ledge under the louvers.   If she ever sat on a Scotia bldg window sill, it would be when I wasn't looking. 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Thanks RCF for the photos ... the most likely answer is that yes, it is Alice you saw on the Scotia Bank building by McKenzie Seeds, however (sorry), I can't be 100% sure.  The numbers/letters on the band are clearly visible (you did very well considering the distance you were shooting from!) but it seems to me that the digits look more rounded than Alice's band number - her band number is 16/K - so the 6 is rounded but the K on the red isn't.  Could very easily just be crap stuck to the band - feathers, scratches, whatever - or it could be another bird.  We did have 3 unidentified birds at the Tower site this year - the male with Alice and the earlier pair - any or all of them could have been from south of the border technically. 

Having said that, given the time of the year and the location, I daresay it is Alice, just can't say 100% sure from the photos.  Might even be that the bird we saw a week ago wasn't Hurricane - the bird we saw was in exactly the same location so we will have to go through Dennis' photos very carefully.  It was definitely Alice at the Tower site when we were there but I haven't seen bands on the bird we saw on the Scotia Bank building.

It may also be that like the Radisson site, the McKenzie Seeds site will be the most coveted nestsite in Brandon and when the resident pair leave, the Tower pair can come down and visit - unfortunately with the camera equipment in my living room, no way to check out the nestbox like I was today at the Radisson, so I'm afraid you are our lone eyes (and camera) in Brandon right now RCF and we may not manage to conclusively solve this mystery before the little beggars, oops, darlings, bolt from the province ...

... can't wait to hear who you spot where tomorrow!!  Saturday looks nice as well 

[RCF]

I saw a birdie chasing pigeons again today but it wasn't a Merlin, it was a peregrine falcon and it was perched on one of the window sills of the Scotia building.  I took a few photos and then decided to check out the tower site and I only saw a Raven out there.  I came back downtown to see if the falcon was still around, which it was. It was definitely not Hurricane.  I am pretty sure it's Alice from the Tower site because of the black/red band on her left leg and you can see some of her feathers are still brown on the ends.  She is a very pretty bird.  

I haven't seen Hurricane for two days and I am sure she would not let Miss Alice sit on her Scotia sign if she were here!! 

[RCF]

I am not sure if Hurricane is still here or not because I didn't see her today.     I did however watch a Merlin chase pigeons all over downtown for about twenty minutes.   It rested on the highest point of the communications tower twice and the second time it perched I managed to get its photo. 

[RCF]

Hurricane was on the Scotia sign this afternoon around 3:40pm.  She flew off and I never saw where she went......maybe she went someplace out of the wind because it is very windy here.

 

[Kinderchick]

That's amazing that you are still seeing Hurricane!

[RCF]

Hurricane is still here, I saw her chasing her supper (pigeons) at 4pm. 

[RCF]

We put the cameras and nestboxes "to bed" yesterday (Saturday) and it looked like Hurricane parked on the north-side of the Scotia Bank Building while we were there (Dennis is checking his photos) ... no sign of Brooklyn or either of the boys.  It was a gorgeous day and the bird wasn't inclined to go anywhere and after about 20 seconds of half-hearted calling, s/he was quiet the rest of the time.

It was a wonderful way to do roof-top work and made for lovely end-of-season memories that will have to hold us for the next six months 

Rose and I were there around 10:30am, so it was Hurricane you saw on the Scotia building and she was still there at 2:30pm.  I have not seen Hunter or Sol since September 17th.  I had mentioned in an earlier post that I hadn't seen Brooklyn since September 21st. 

[The Peregrine Chick]

We put the cameras and nestboxes "to bed" yesterday (Saturday) and it looked like Hurricane parked on the north-side of the Scotia Bank Building while we were there (Dennis is checking his photos) ... no sign of Brooklyn or either of the boys.  It was a gorgeous day and the bird wasn't inclined to go anywhere and after about 20 seconds of half-hearted calling, s/he was quiet the rest of the time.  We finished work on the roof and went for lunch and she stayed put until we were just about to pull out of the parking lot to head over to the Tower site.

It was a wonderful way to do roof-top work and made for lovely end-of-season memories that will have to hold us for the next six months  

[RCF]

I saw Hurricane today, so she is still here.     September 21st was the last time I saw Brooklyn and that was the same day both TPC and I saw the two of them.  I think he has gone to his winter home down south. 

[RCF]

Gross, I think someone's leg just got ripped off! What a capture.

Well, she swallowed the whole leg and it looked like it was webbed, so maybe a duck or grebe. 

[birdcamfan]

Gross, I think someone's leg just got ripped off! What a capture.