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Jan 2, 2012 - Happy 2012!! Even in the winter months there's activity on site so I figured I'd give a quick update for those wondering. If I didn't know better I could swear on the weekend I saw a bit of what could seem like early courtship, likely brought on by some of the warmer weather we were experiencing. Thankfully the cold returning will subdue the hormones and keep the falcons quiet for another few months. That said, Jack is still on site regularly, I often see him flying over from his other home around 715AM, and I also see both falcons hanging around on the ledges near the flagpole, so there are definitely two around at least some of the time. Over the holidays I went to Nanticoke and thought I might have some luck finding our offspring Marla who now resides around the powerplant. I didn't have any luck catching her but I did snap some other birds of prey with the camera, if you're interested check my photo blog here. Other than that it's probably going to be quiet for at least a couple of months and then I'd expect the annual mayhem to ensue once again. Updates to follow whenever things pick up. All the best for everyone in 2012!!

Sep 19, 2011 - September Update Over the past many weeks, I've struggled to get any definitive info to share with you. Today I'll call it as I see it, if I receive any contrary information I'll share that later. This morning, I saw Jack departing from the area, heading towards his other home at Bloor/Islington. I haven't seen Jack in quite a while but he's probably been around. At the same time, I saw our adult female near the original nest ledge. Even she isn't around all the time, but was this morning. As for our juvenile, I have not seen or heard anything for quite some time. It doesn't seem she's still around, and while it's possible she departed for the fall migration, honestly I don't believe she has survived. She is not banded, so it isn't likely we'll ever get any clear information on her. In the coming months, I'll share anything interesting that comes my way, but otherwise we're probably going to have a quiet few months and then see what happens in the spring. For next season, while I question the purpose of trying to keep residents updated, I will still maintain this blog, and more importantly continue to work with our MNR and other falcon followers around the continent. This of course assumes our falcons remain on site into next year, which I consider likely.

Jul 16, 2011 - Saturday morning This morning (and also last night) I saw our young gal chasing an adult around and squawking quite a bit. Flight looks good, as does the eagerness to eat :) This morning I spotted a news article about the nest at Nanticoke, where a female Marla born here is now nesting. Her offspring have been named Kay, Volt and Coalton. If you're interested give it a read here.

Jul 11, 2011 - Monday update - all seems fine Over the past week our juvie has mostly spent time at the old/original nest ledge area in the middle of the buildings. She's flying well and seems very motivated by food given the screeching that takes place when either adult shows up with something to eat. Given the new spot the family is hanging out I'm seeing a minimal amount of action down at the actual nest area, but regardless, many are reporting seeing some nice flying action around the area so that's good to hear.

Jul 1, 2011 - Spotted I received a message from Marlyne that our juvie was spotted around the building a lot of Thursday afternoon along with both parents at one time or another, so that's good to hear! On a less fortunate note, I heard from my friend Kathy yesterday that one of Jack's offspring, Jupiter, at the Bloor/Islington nest had a fatal collision with a building. Even with strong flying skills accidents happen, let's hope our gal stays out of trouble. An update from Wayne says that our gal is apparently flying well but perhaps still having some challenges with landings, and has been seen around the original/old nest ledge a fair bit today.

Jun 30, 2011 - Thursday update Yesterday morning the juvie was seen on the roof. I don't recall if/when she was seen later in the day, and I do not know if she was here at the end of the day. This morning before 7AM I was unable to locate the juvenile anywhere. Mom was on the south peak. In past years we have waited for juvies to return to the nest ledge before calling the watch complete. While we've seen her on the roof, as far as I know she has not returned to the ledge. That said, the watch is no longer taking place. Given how hard it is to predict if and when a juvenile may get into trouble, I'd suggest watching should continue in some way, if anyone is around to keep an eye on things. I will not be in the near term. I'd like to thank the small group of annual fledge-watchers who once again invested their time and effort to keep an eye on our juvie before she fledged. A special thanks is also due to Roy and Mary for all their efforts both watching as well as coordinating schedules with other watchers.

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