Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Peregrine Falcon (Faucon pèlerin) in Kitchener, ON

     Last year a pair of Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus bred successfully on the Sun Life Financial tower in downtown Waterloo. This year due to maintenance on their roof, the company requested that the nest box be removed, and they were unwilling to have it reinstalled.
     Fortunately, CKCO, the local CTV affiliate, located just a short distance from the Sun Life building, agreed to permit the Canadian Peregrine Foundation to install a new nest box on their communications antenna. Two years earlier peregrines had bred there, and already this year a pair was showing interest in this location. 
     The nest box which had been taken down from the Sun Life building was too big to to be installed on the CTV tower, so a new box had to be built. Waterloo Region Nature, of which I am president, donated the funds for the construction materials, and the the custom box was built by Mark Nash of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.



    It was getting late in the breeding season for the falcons and we knew that pair bonds had been formed. We had our fingers crossed that we would not be too late for this pair to occupy our box. 
     Dale Ingrey, the point man for our club, accompanied by several others, assisted at the erection site and the nest box was successfully hauled up and installed on the platform.







     Imagine our sheer delight when the pair of falcons almost immediately showed interest and within a day it became clear that they had claimed the box as their own.




       This has been a success story of which we can all be proud. As of yesterday the pair had two eggs!



     For our dedicated team of falcon watchers this is only the beginning. Much monitoring has to be done and people stationed at the ready to help future fledglings survive their first attempts at flight. Often they have to be rescued and returned to the nest, for the city can be a dangerous place for a young peregrine before it attains full flight proficiency.
     It is a labour of love for all of us, however, and we are happy that we have played some small part in ensuring the ongoing viability of this most magnficent of raptors.
David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

19 comments:

  1. Great post, happy times for the Falcon lovers..

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  2. Thay hang around on telecom towers here too..................

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  3. Beautifully David, good work to do yet again to place a nest box.
    How wonderful that immediately two audiences.
    Greetings Tinie

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  4. Wonderful story and beautiful photos, David.
    Thanks to CKCO for their willingness to allow a nest box.
    Gr Jan W

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  5. Good luck to them! I always love when they successfully nest.

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  6. Enhorabuena por el éxito de esta operación, la ubicación es increíble. Me ha gustado mucho el post, saludos cordiales desde España.

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  7. What a great story! I look forward to seeing and hearing more about the family.

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  8. Hi David,
    Great initiative to put a nest box for the tree falcons there.
    And that falcons go in, is really great.
    Let's hope there young falcons will fly out.

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  9. Great job David. Funny that you writhe about the Peregrine falcons the same time as I did in my blog. For years now I follow these birds in their nestboxes. Most in the Netherlands but also in Belgium and other countrys in Europe and the world. In most of the nest boxes they have webcams and with this technique we can follow the raising of the chicks. I will add some links so you can have a look.
    A few years ago I was present when the chicks of ASML Eindhoven were ringed to be seen on my blog.
    http://natuurcultuurenalleswatboeit.blogspot.be/2013/05/ringen-van-slechtvalken-in-veldhoven.html
    http://www.werkgroepslechtvalk.nl/ccms.104.Werkgroepslechtvalk.LIVE-BEELDEN.html
    http://asml_720p.peregrines.nl/
    http://www.beleefdelente.nl/vogel/slechtvalk

    Any way it would be nice to hear and see how the falcons in their new location will raise their chicks.
    Have a nice week.
    Roos

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    1. We hope to have a webcam installed at this site too, Roos.

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    2. That would indeed be very nice!

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  10. Glad to know that's going on in KW!

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  11. When humans decide to get together to accomplish something like this they do succeed!
    I really hope the pair will breed several chicks to adulthood :)
    hugs again!!

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  12. Brilliant images, I hope that a camera is going up there.

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  13. Hi David. A heartwarming story but thumbs down to Sun Life and a big Thank You to CKCO for everyone who will delight in the Peregrine's adventures in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to more pics soon - especially of you up the tower.

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  14. Very cool captures .. Happy Easter

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  15. Super that these falcons nest box are widely accepted. It would be a great pity if they would come back Neit amar fortunately there falcons that have this closet "housed" .. Very nice and clear pictures David!

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