U of Alberta - 2008 / Damon & Radisson

[bev.]

tuesday night

I was down tonight and a friend came with me.  As soon as I got there I checked the Ed building and there was a juvenile on the front ledge . I am not sure who but I am sure it was a juvenile.
From a distance we could see pigeons flying around and that is what alerted me to a falcon being there.  I do not think anything was caught though as this one was just sitting there.  I did not see anymore falcons at that time. 
After a bit it flew off toward mom and dads area. I thought it might be Cassie becasue of the coloring but in the light it is hard to tell sometimes.  I do not think it was mom. And it was too big for dad.
We started to walk down that area but could not see anything. So we went up to the parkade across from the ED building(I find this is where I can find one or 2 usually.) A  falcon was sitting on Dads tower at the top.  We looked all around and were going to go and walk by the hospital but Gail saw something flying out way past the cranes.  It was a falcon and it was now flying towards the Ed building.  It landed on a tower on the west side facing the parkade.  It was a juvenile and I thought maybe Hope(by the coloring).there was no longer a falcon on dads tower so was this the same one???

So we stayed on the parkade .  5 magpies were stalking her but they soon gave up. what is it with these magpies anyway?

Then a falcon flew onto the back aerial.  Maybe Cassie, it is too hard to tell sometimes when the sun is so bright(just imagine, the sun is bright .  I looked over and there was a falocn on the tower on the Suite Hotel. So now I have 3 in view. 2 juveniles and an adult or 2 adults and a juvenile.  The falcon closest to me (Hope I think ) started to cack. After a bit the one on the back of the Ed building flew down and I did not see where it went. Then the falcon on the suite  hotel was gone.

When Peter is with me I would have him  go and look around the area and I would stay put or vice -verrsa, but I did not want to order my friend around.   

So we stayed with the juvenile on the Ed building for a bit. A falcon was back on dads tower.
We made the decision to go and walk around by dads building and the clinical science and the front of the hospital and back. I was hoping the juvenile would stay put.

We walked and I could see  the juvenile until we hit the clinical science and then it was out of view.  The falcon on the tower was gone also.  Where was everyone going???

When we got back to the Ed building the juvenile was gone. Darn it. I missed where it had gone. We climb back to the parkade by the Ed building again. There is a falcon on dads tower again.
At about 7:40pm we saw 2 falcons flying down by dads building so we decided to walk that way.
But when we got there there was no one. Now you know I would have stayed to see everyone tucked in but i could not ask that of my friend.

so I went home a little complacent but I saw 3 falcons and I am sure 2 were juveniles.  

Tomorrow I have a dinner engagement so I will go down from 11:00 until 3:30pm and hopefully see someone. I hate to not go at night at this stage but Thursday I will be there at night.  My fingers are crossed for them to stay at least another week and a half. 
I will e-mail the biologists with a few questions tomorrow.

There is not much action right now.I kind of think they go away to hunt.  My main concern is seeing when they leave and who is still here.  And of course that they are fed, one way or another.  I do not know how I would know so I try and watch carefully to make sure they are flying strong .  I f they are close I can get a good look. I will remain optimistic. 

A few pictures will be coming when Peter gets home and i have some of Hope flying also.

[carly]

I hope they stay a bit longer too and they might.  From the migration logs I checked here last year - some didn't go until end of October so not unreasonable to think they may stay a bit longer.  Hope you see them all tonight Bev!

[bev.]

I was just kidding about Casanova
Edmund is Good .I have a few others in mind also but I am still researching
Getting ready to head down and hopefully spot the girls. this is the time they leave but I am hoping the nice weather will keep them here a bit longer.  I was thinking about the weather.  We had great weather for the girls learning to fly which was great.  Not so great for them learning to hunt but then they have to learn to hunt in all conditions. so>>>now we have great weather again and I would just as soon they stick around until that big storm is finally over in the states. I know it is Hurricane season but that was a mother of a storm.

[carly]

Seeing as dad was born in downtown Edmonton, how about Edmund?  or Steady Eddie? 

I like those 2 better than Casanova...not that Casanova is not a nice name but our dad here seems to be reliable and steady and devoted so I'm not sure Casanova suits him although given all the girls fighting over him...who am I to say!

[Elaine L]

Seeing as dad was born in downtown Edmonton, how about Edmund?  or Steady Eddie? 

[bev.]

By the way Tracy, thank-you for all your patience with me , for letting me share with all of you . I hope I have a few more days yet. 
I hope you are learning as much as me.  what a treat.

[bev.]

Dad was born downtown Edmonton.  I think Casanova comes to mind but I will think of something appropriate.   I hold my breath every season to see if it is that is back.  He is great.  such a busy beaver .

[carly]

Bev, I've been thinking, it's time dad had a name.  Do we know if he had a name and where he was from at all?  He seems to be a super dad, he's raised many, many young and provided for them.  He's a great foster dad based on what you've told us about the nest history.  He's had 3 females fighting for him and mated with all 3 of them at some point and lost 2 of them  .

I think if he doesn't have a name then he surely deserves one. 

[bcbird]

It has been a great thing to watch.

Thanks to you, Bev, we all get to watch!
Lucky grandson, to have such fabulous quality time with grandparents.

[bev.]

Yes, on August the 13th the biologists added a  female juvenile that had been found on the ground in red deer Alberta.  they did not feel comfortable leaving it at the site they thought it came from as they could see no adults , so they fostered it here. she was close in age to our femme an what a ride it has been. I was apprehensive at first but the bilogists just said sit back and watch.  cassie had only just started to fly and this one had already flown.  I watched her make her first flights here after a few days and it was awesome.
 I named her Hope for the new hope she had been given.  Cassie and her took to each other immediately and on most days are together. Last night was one of the few nights I did not see them together at some point. the parents took to her also. 
this nest site is noted  for its fostering efforts.
It has been a great thing to watch.

[Elaine L]

Bev, thanks for the play-by-play of the falcons; you have really worked on getting this information to us, your audience.  Also, I guess I am out of the loop, but while I was on vacation I understood that one falcon chick was added to the nest box, but I never read anything else on this.  As our resident falcons had only one chick, I think Cassie, and now there are two chicks (the girls?), is the second one the chick that was added?

[carly]

Thanks for the updates and the pictures Bev!  Good job on training the little one to love peregrines at such a young age..hehe 

[bev.]

Isn't she gorgeous. I have so many shots that it is hard to pick.  I have a lot of Hope also. so I will work on them.

[bev.]

I was at the site tonight and not much action. I was hoping someonewas watching the cam as I am sure someone was lying inside. It was killing me not having my computer to check it out.

It was awhile before I saw anyone tonight but I finally spotted dad on the corner of the Medical science building where Cassie was one evening. He appeared to have just finished eating something.  He then flew over to the corner of the Ed building out of my sight. I was on the Parkade across from the Ed building,so I went downstairs and outside and there he was sitting with his back to me. Half sitting and  half standing. I knew it was dad by the size.
After a bit he flew over towards the cranes  so I went back up on the parkade and there he was sitting at the front of the second crane.  Then a juvenile came flying from out past the Dentistry building and she appeared like she would land on the Ed building. But she must have spotted dad and went flying over to the crane cacking. She perched in the middle of the crane.  She cacked for quite a bit.(broke my heart) but I am sure she is fed. Dad just ignored her.  Then she flew off, I thought it was her flying over the hospital but when I looked back at the crane, after a bit,  there she was. Where are my other set of eyes when I need them I did not see her fly back but you never know . They are so fast.
Dad then flew off toward the adults area.
I walked past the hospital and then down past the clinical science building but saw no one. I went up on the other parkade . I looked all around with my binoculars and saw nothing. Then I  looked in the nest box and I was sure I saw someone lying down in there on the right side . It looked like the head of a falcon. (When I got home it was too dark to see anything. )
Then I saw a falcon on the middle of dads tower.  Not sure who.

I decided to walk back to the other parkade and I stayed there for awhile . I could see the falcon the tower and the juvenile on the crane. 
I waited for something to happen but... By the way the juvenile stopped cacking after the adult left.

It was starting to get dark so I walked past the hospital and sat there for a bit and watched the juvenile. Then I went past the  clinical science building and the falcon was still on the tower.   I had to go inside the building for a minute or two and when I came out the falcon was gone from the tower.  I walked up to the corner and there was a falcon on the 3rd ledge tucked in where mom sleeps.

I walked way down by the traffic circle and did not see a juvenile tucked in on the south side .

I then walked back to the hospital and the juvenile was still there . I waited for a bit and it flew off toward the Ed building.  I walked down past the back of the parkade across from the heart building and waited to see if a juvenile would fly onto the side ledge facing the street.(west). It did not take too long and a falcon flew into the top ledge of moms building. I figure this must be Hope as this is where she always sleeps but Cassie has slept here on occasion also

so folks I am a little melancholy  tonight as I amnot sure who I saw. Did I see 2 or 3 falcons. The evening was very warm so they would not necessarily feel the urge to be tucked on a ledge(no breeze, or sign of storms). I could not help but put my human feelings into play and feel for the juvenile on the ledge tonight.  I am hoping that I saw 2 but...

I will be down there again tomorrow and will try and get there earlier and see what I can see. peter will be out of town until late tomorrow so I will be alone again.

I know that one day when I go down there will  be no one but... Peter and I said last night , that it felt different last night. as if  they were preparing for something.

I will post some pictures fo Cassie flying from last Sunday. they are great

[bev.]

Sunday evening September 14

We get down there a bit later tonight as we are babysitting my grandson.  He is excited to come and see the falcons.
It has been a warm day and so it is quite pleasant . We immediately see a juvenile on the corner of the jut of the clinical science building. I believe it is Hope. She just sits there so reagally. Not a sound.
We climb up on the parkade across from the Heart building  and see nothing . Then we spot a falcon over on the Ed building on an aerial. So we have 2 in view.  Draeton watches with the binoculars and sees the falcon on the Ed building fly to another tower.  He should come with us more often as he does not miss anything.

Peter and Draeton go over to get Draeton supper and I keep an eye on the 2 falcons. After a bit Hope still remains sitting and the falcon on the Ed building flies off toward the cranes.  I climb down and walk toward the front of the hospital.  I cannot see anything or anyone but I hear cacking. I cross the street and there is Cassie right at the top of the hospital in full view and cacks every once in a while.  She then flies off toward the  Ed building. I walk to the corner and see her perched there and then double back and check to make sure Hope is still on the clinical science building.There she was in plain sight.  No sign of any adults.
 I go to check up on the boys but they are gone so I go back to the Ed building and climb up on the parkade and it is Cassie that is there.
I go back down and walk toward the Newton apartments and  there are the boys. They had been up on the parkdade across from the Ed building. They watched Cassie for a bit and then as they were leaving they saw another falcon(Peter thought an adult) flying over Cassie and they both fly off and then Cassie flies back on.  they then spot a falcon on the second tower.
We stop for me to eat where we can see both falcons.
In an instant Hope was gone, so I am  off to check on her and Peter and Draeton go to check on Cassie.

I walk around toward the front of the hospital and see a  falcon on the top of the crane,. I think it is Hope . I watch her for a bit and meet up with Peter and Draeton on the corner across from the Butterdome.  They say that Cassie has left but they had seen an adult on the front of the second crane. They  said they almost missed her/him). So I tell them about Hope and they go to watch her while I go up on the parkade across from the Ed building. (Peter needs to sit as the young one is tiring him out )
While I am up there I see 2 falcons flying in towards the cranes and so I go to look for them. I walk around back along by the Newton apartments and see nothing. No one on clinical science , No one on dads building and no one on the ledge where mom sleeps. As I am  walking by  the clinical science I see a falcon fly on dads tower.  Cannot tell who and it is getting dark.
I meet up with the boys and they got to see a show.  Hope had flown off the crane and flew way out and then the both girls flew back to the crane cacking a bit( that was the 2 falcons that I saw) and were touching talons and playing games.  One landed on the crane and one flew off in direction of the adult buildings.  I am sorry I missed the show but I am glad that the boys saw it.
It is time to get Draeton home and  so He comes with me while Peter gets the car.  We go to the building where mom usually sleeps and the falcon is not on the tower but one is on the ledge where mom usually sleeps. Whether it is her or  dad I do not know. Draeton has a look also.
Peter picks up Draeton while I go around to the front of moms apartment and find a  falcon tucked on the ledge facing south like Friday night.Then I check the other side and there is Hope on her ledge facing the street.

So we have tucked in 2 juveniles and an adult.  I am praying that all 4 are still here. The girls still need help.
So we leave. It was a  nice calm warm night   and we have one sleepy boy, but just maybe I have recruited a future bird lover


today is Monday and we have a promising 4 days of nice weather.  I will be down today sometime by myself as Peter is out of town.

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