Banding Day Photos - May 23, 2014

Photos Copyright of Bill McCreadie

These were some of the photos taken at the banding yesterday at the Lift Bridge.

Ministry of Natural Resources Banding Tools

 

The Two Little Ones Arrive from the Tower

Ghent

Ghent 2

Ghent 3

Ghent's New Jewellery

Ireland

Ireland 2

Ireland 3

The Two Failed Eggs

Mom Cirrus does a flyby as Dad Mackenzie sits on the nest box.



Cirrus is so irate that she goes after Mackenzie.
 I guess she thought the whole thing was his fault.

 

 

 

Friday, May 23, 2014

Banding Day at the Burlington Lift Bridge

This morning, two healthy and feisty chicks were banded at the Lift Bridge by Anne Yagi from the Ministry of Natural Resources.  Two failed eggs were also retrieved from the nest Box.  The results are:

1.  Male - 705 grams - 26 days old - Banded Black B/00 - Yellow tape - Named Ghent
2.  Male - 713 grams - 27 days old - Banded Black B/01 - Red tape - Named Ireland

May they thrive and continue to help this species at risk grow and prosper.

The name Ghent comes from a historical family of Burlington.  The Ghents emigrated from North Carolina to Ontario in the later half of the nineteenth century.  After spending one year to the east of Hamilton, set off across Burlington Bay in canoes with several sacks of apple seeds.  The seeds thrived in the sandy soil of Burlington and to this day remnants of the Ghent orchards are still found in aging apple trees shading many gardens of core-area Burlington homes.

Hopefully, some photos will follow when we receive approval from Public Works and Government Services Canada.  Thank you to PWGSC for allowing us access to this event.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Photos copyright of Public Works and Government Services Canada

Things are pretty quiet at the Lift Bridge as we wait for the little white heads to make their way to the front of the nest box.  Banding is scheduled for Friday, May 23rd.  Looking forward to seeing what we have.

Thank you Public Works and Government Services Canada for allowing me to post this photo of the little ones.  You can see one failed egg in the foreground.

Monday, May 5, 2014

9:30 – 11:00 am
7 C / 45 F
Sunny and clear
Photos copyright of Bill McCreadie

Bill arrived at the Lift Bridge this morning around 9:30 and found Mackenzie on the Hamilton Hydro Tower.  He made several hunting attempts and finally showed up on one of the picnic tables with what appeared to be a Starling.  He then flew to the roof of the Burlington Tower and Cirrus came out of the nest box and followed him there.  Dad left the food on the roof and flew into the nest box.  Within a few seconds Cirrus went into the nest box, Dad left and Mom began feeding.

As Bill witnessed the food delivery to the nest box he decided to go down the road where you can get a site line into the box.  With the scope, he was able to see Cirrus feeding two little white fluff balls.

 

So, I’m really happy to report that we have at least 2 little ones.  Hopefully, there is more.

Mackenzie arrives with food

Mackenzie arrives with food
 

Cirrus arrives with food

Mackenzie leaves and Cirrus goes into the box



A distant shot of Cirrus feeding a little one

 

Sunday, April 27, 2014

5 C / 41 F

Sunny, clear and windy

1:00 to 2:30 PM

Photos copyright of Bill McCreadie

 

Well, if I were a betting woman, I would bet that we have a hatch at the Lift Bridge.  Cirrus was very active in the nest box this afternoon.  Up and down, up and down, and at times, her tail was hanging over the edge of the box.  This is the first day that we have actually been able to see her in the box. 

Mackenzie is up to his old tricks of hunting the pigeon holes when the bridge is open for a full lift.  It is so amazing to watch him at this.  He looks and looks into the various holes until he finds one that looks promising.  Then it is a dive in to see what he can bring out.  Unfortunately, Bill lost sight of him and we don’t know if he was successful.

This afternoon we found Mackenzie hanging out in the Hamilton Hydro Tower.  He was very alert and watching all that was going on around him.  All of a sudden, like a shot he left the tower and the next thing we know he was attacking a poor Gull that I guess, just got a little too close.  The Gull screamed and made an abrupt turn and was out of there.  Mackenzie made a quick check of the nest box and then landed on the front face of the Hamilton Tower.  All was quite when we left.

 

If there is a hatch, now we wait to see how many little white heads will appear.

 

 

Mackenzie goes shopping.



Mackenzie misses.

Mackenzie misses again.

 

 

 

Monday, April 14, 2014

10:00 am

20 C / 68 F

Overcast Skies

Very windy from the S 30 km per hour, gusting to 60 km per hour

Photos copyright of Bill McCreadie

As incubation continues at the Lift Bridge, things are pretty quiet.  If you’re lucky, you may see a shift change in the nest box and that is about it.  We expect a hatch fairly soon, and then the action will start. 

 

While we wait, although not at the Lift Bridge, but very close by, Bill photographed this beautiful American White Pelican.   We had read a report that an adult American White Pelican was hanging around the islands off of Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW).   So Bill left this morning in search of this rare find and he was not disappointed.  The water is quite low just now and Bill was able to get quite close and got these beautiful photos. 

 

 

 

 

Monday, March 31, 2014

 + 2C / 36F
10:00 am
Clear with blue skies
Photos copyright of Bill McCreadie

As incubation continues, things get pretty quiet at the Lift Bridge.  Cirrus spent most of the time in the Hamilton Hydro Tower.  Mackenzie was nowhere to be seen so he was on incubation duty.

Although the Peregrines are pretty quiet during incubation, there is still always something to see at the Lift Bridge.  There are a few Red Breasted Mergansers still hanging out in the canal.  Yesterday they were feeling rather amorous and we watched the males display for the affection of the females.  How beautiful they are!

 

While this photo was not taken at the Lift Bridge, I decided to share it as I thought it amazing to be able to see something like this just down the road from home.  

 

What a beautiful day to be out and about.