U of Alberta - 2008 / Damon & Radisson

[bev.]

Sorry about all my spelling errors .  i went back to correct and I couldn't. I sometimes just type too quickly.

[bcbird]

Thanks Bev.  Love to hear about the two girls playing together.  What a different fledgling experience Cassie is having from being the Lonely Only chick in the nestbox.

[bev.]

I was blessed again tonight.  We went down earlier and I will not to that again. I ddi no twant to meiss the feedings but we nearly missed it all.

There was no one around we walked the whole campus and I found another parkade at the other end of campus to go up. I did manage to see one falcon flying. we think they were out at the river with the adults.
We decided to go home after 2 hours of nothing and then we looked around and someone was flying by the Ed building so we went back.  of course when we got there no one was home.  so off we went again on our way home.

A nice young intern stopped and talked to me about the falcons and he told me he had seen both playing around the Ed building around 14:00  so I was happy they were spotted.

Peter picked me up as I climbed another parkade but no cigar

As we were driving past the Ed building I looked back and there they wee . One on the roof edge and one perched on the tower.   
Poor Peter,  I yelled pull over. Well where, we are in the middle of traffic. Of course , somewhere illegal again One has to do what one has to do
Well the 2 girls put on a show for us.  We were too  far away to get decent shots but I will prepare them anyway. It will  give you an idea of what they were doing.  I was killing myself laughing.  One would perch on the tower and the other would buzz it and  try and land on top .

Then they did precision flying allover the area  and some talon touching.  what a treat. I thought I was going  home without seeing them but there they were. 

We did eventually have to go as they flew off and s we drove down the street I saw them perched at the Students Union building.  maybe a snack was coming.

They are flying so beautifully.  I can only hope their hunting is coming along also. this i will entrust to the adults.

I will post the pictures tomorrow.  We are looking to find a map on the internet so I can share with you the area so you can see that where they are now is not that far for them to fly from their nest area but to walk it is a different story.

Peter and I enjoyed walking the campus tonight .  It was balmy but so beautiful.  These 2 girls have really given me something special.
   

[carly]

Hi Bev!  I didn't get the option to start a New Topic either otherwise I would have so I figured maybe I didn't have the rights to and decided to wait until someone else did it..so no worries...*ducks* from TPC's shovel - we tried, honest we did .

Thank you for the update.  Sounds like mom has warmed up to Hope as well which is all to the good    Happy to hear that both girls are doing well and ditto on the humans not thinking about the impact on wildlife when they do things 

[bev.]

Sorry, I do not know how to start a new thread.

We got there rather late  last night becasue of detours but we did see both of them. 
Cassie and Hope were on the corner of the Heart building.   
We only saw Hope at first but then up popped Cassie's head.  Like I said I can not always tell them apart but I  could tonight. 
Cassie appeared to have been eating but Hope was just perched facing in so I hope she ate before we got there. 

Peter will download the camera later. We did not get much in way of pictures as the light is so poor now but I think we may have a good one of Cassie.

A question I will pose to the biologists this week is about the heart building.  There is a helicopter pad ready to go soon  and  it is on the top where the girls like to perch. I am wondering how this will affect our peregrine family nest year. This is the Stars ambulance pad and they have one presently on the hospital and it goes behind the clinical science building.  This is going to go right in the path of the nest box
What a waste of taxpayers money. It does not come in that often but..... I am sure the adults can adapt but one more thing for the fledglings to battle.  this always makes me so made.  I sometimes wonder when we are going to learn to  take steps forward instead of backward.

Back to my report.  After awhile Hope flew off to the Education building. We ran over there and she appeared to be eating. Lighting was poor so I do not know if we got good pictures or not.  Mom was perched  on one part of the building and then came to a tower a bit closer chupping as she came
After a bit Hope  started to cack like crazy.  Mom was perched on a tower on the building and about a half hour after the caking mom went beside her on the roof ledge and I could not see what she did but then she moved farther from Hope and Hope appeared to be eating again.
It was getting dark so we decided to call it a night . As we were leaving and walking past the Heart building and close to moms buidling a falcon flew overhead .Too dark to see who.

Pictures later.  It is cool today so it not raining we will go tonight , if not I will go in the morning

Anytime I see them both I am happy
 

 

[Alison]

We have made a lot of people aware of these falcons and so I think we have done a good thing here.  I will be one tired girl but it is all worth it.  I am learning so much about them by viewing them after they fledge.

I think you have done a very, very good thing here, Bev. The more people who are aware of these beautiful birds the better.

Thank you so much for the wonderful reports and the great flying pics. I love to see Cassie and Hope flying together! I see what you mean about how close they go to the buildings.

[bcbird]

bcbird,
you hi lighted my quote but did not say anything???

Sorry for any confusion, Bev.  I accidentally posted your quote without my comment, and  then edited out the quote when I realized my reply was going to be right after your post anyway.

It must be interesting becoming familiar again with the geography of your alma mater.  It does sound like a lot of walking to get the whereabouts of the falcons for your reports.  We are so fortunate to have your legs and eyes at work! And camera!  The pictures are spectacular.  Obvious why you would have been saying "careful girls, not so close to the walls."
 

[sami]

Wow! What great pictures, Bev. It must have been awesome to have seen them flying.

[carly]

Many, many thanks for the updates and pictures of our girls flying!  They seem to both be flying really well!!

[bev.]

some foying pictures from the other night. They are close to the buildings and I had a few heart attacks.  good thing the hospital is close by    remember these are thumbnails so click on them

[bev.]

So all is well. I was talking to a lady who works at the university and lives in one of the apartments behind moms building. she watches the falcons all the time and can see the nest box from her window. Peter asked if she invited us for coffee. she says she hears and sees them all the time and they are very noisy. she did not know there were 2 and now she knows why she was seeing double she gave me her card so I will have to keep in touch with her.

We have made a lot of people aware of these falcons and so I think we have done a good thing here.  I will be one tired girl but it is all worth it.  I am learning so much about them by viewing them after they fledge.



They are so incredible and beautiful.  I am wondering if I had a life before this . I will soon fine dot after they are gone. I am not looking forward to that day but yet I am because then I know they have been successful and if my watching has helped in some small way then I am humbled.

I know there is a ways to go yet but what a ride!!!!
I am not naive enough to know that there are as many disappointments as successes but every success is we see is positive in itself and what a miraculous story this is turning out to be.  My talons are crossed.

[bev.]

bcbird,
you hi lighted my quote but did not say anything???

We went out last night and a storm was a brewing.  As usual we went up to the parkade to see what was up.
could not find anyone so we started walking. No pictures today from yesterday as our battery went dead But I will post some other flying ones from last day )
anyhow, went walking and spotted mom on the top tower of Ed building.  That was the building I posted another day where they were both feeding. We walked around back and there was a juvenile.On a building just behind Ed building.)   We could have had a great shot. Hopefully there will be more of those. We could not spot the other juvenile so we kept walking. I figured with mom there, the other one must be close by.

We then saw this juvenile fly to the Ed building and so walked back and there was the other juvenile tucked in in the back of the Ed building roof.
All of a sudden one flew off above us to the right at a diagonal and then the other flew also.  Now I do not know if they were chasing an adult as the trees blocked the view and I could not run that fast .
I figured I knew where they were headed as I know the heights of all the buildings.  this is my  Alma Mater.

Sure enough they were way over by the  highest part of the students  union building.
I will take pictures so this makes more sense to you, but this is a great spot to be. Lots of tress and more wide open spaces without a lot of glass. I hope this is where they are training.
I could only see one juvenile at first on the right corner of the building but feathers were flying.   Then I saw the head of the other one. it was a ripping and defeathering.
Peter went toscout out the adults and found mom on a crane a few blocks over . she had a direct  view of the students union building.
He came back and kept watch on the  youngsters while I checked mom out.
He noted that the one on the corner went down on the roof and appeared to be feeding and then the other went up on the corner. We watched them for a long time(and the squirrels and rabbits)   I think they both got a good feed. I did not want to lose track of them. Peter then went to scout out dad and found him down by moms building. this is the first time we have spotted all 4 in a few days.    We were very happy to see them all.  Now for the birds this may not be too far to fly but for us it is a distance so we are getting lots of exercise. 

We could only see one juvenile for the longest time but then all  of a sudden the other popped onto the ledge and then they both flew back in the direction of the education building.  It was starting to rain so we knew there would be no flying show .  Mom was still on the crane and when we got to the Ed building we could only see one juvenile on a tower . I walked around and found one juvenile on a pipe at the back of the ed building. I am thinking that it is  Hope on the tower as she really likes the towers and Cassie on the pipe, but as long as there is always 2 I am happy.
When I went around front Peter spotted dad also on the Ed building ,in the front, on the right tower. 
a falcon flew overhead as we were walking and we looked back and Hope was gone from the tower. (so it must have been her)

As it was raining I did  not go and check and see of Cassie was still there but I am sure she was as she likes this area of the campus.  While walking we came to the Heart building and we saw a head sticking out of the corner . I am assuming this is Hope as she likes this area.  This is in the area where I always post her sitting. 
We looked back and dad was on the power building(remember , this where we saw them both perched one night).

So we went back to the car and as we drove around dad was still perched on the power building where he could see Hope and Mom was still on the crane , where she could see Cassie.  It rained all night so I am assuming they were bedded down for the night.

I exceeded my word amount again so the rest is in next post

[bcbird]

It makes sense to me.  Just because we don't see them return doesn't mean they aren't still out there.  I think no news is better than bad news.

[bev.]

I will write a report later as I have to dash out and help my daughter set up her classroom .
Everything is still good and I will tell you about it later.
this is how I handle the young ones in my brain.
I feel if they can fledge well and make it to the point of migration , then I just picture them flying and soaring and occasionally meeting up with other peregrines. After they leave I only want to to hear success stories.  I do not want to know the rest.  I just want to picture them as I last saw them and then I am happy.  Because we know in nature not all survive and I do not dwell on that . If I did I would never watch to begin with.
this is why I am keeping track of them.  It would break my heart to see them crash now  but i feel if they make it this far they are a success.
I feel if they can be given a good start then nature will handle the rest.
Does that make sense.

[bev.]

I will answer a question first and then come back and make my report from last night.

I am not sure how far our juveniles go and will ask the biologists today.
Our male usually leaves around the muddle of September and goes to Mexico. Most of our males end up in Mexico. I say this becasue we had 2 that had transmitters on them.

Every other year our female adults have left around the beginning of October . the transmitter girl goes to South America  as do a lot of others.
It wills be interesting to see when Radissson leaves.  I will be checking them .
she wile probably start spending more and more time around the nest box area.
the juveniles usually leave the area first , but I am hoping , because our season is late this year that they leave later so they have their skills honed.
as for our marshes.  I will have to check that out.  We have a lot disappearing due to so called progress.