Harlequin ♥ Peregrines, as do I !

My first views ever of the Peregrine Falcon pair that have taken up residence across from the Head Office of Harlequin Enterprises in Don Mills were in early May with Ann.

"Quest" is an American female Peregrine Falcon from Rochester, New York, and "Kendal" is her young Canadian male of choice, born two years ago in downtown Toronto. This cross-border match was definitely made in heaven, as they have successfully hatched one of three eggs laid. The Canadian Peregrine Foundation was contacted by Ms. Donna Hayes, the hawk-eyed CEO of Harlequin who first spotted the falcon from her office window back in April. Between both organizations, these lovebirds falcons who are new to parenting have had the best support ever, and it's been a thrill to watch them all!

"Kendal", the male, was having a feast the first time I saw him back in May:

I think the "special of the day" on the menu was perhaps a Rock Pigeon (waaaah, one of my favorite species at the Toronto Wildlife Centre!!):

...he's a messy eater, though, as there's blood on his right foot:

His bride "Quest" arrived later with her take-out for the day:

"Quest" had been fitted with a satellite transmitter almost four years ago by Mark Nash, Director of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, clearly visible here on her back, allowing her movements along the shores of Lake Ontario to be tracked:

Just over three weeks ago, a baby chick, aptly named "Harlequin", hatched and in Ann's absence, I had the honour and privilege of being invited to the banding event held on the first day of summer, and what a great way to kick it off!

Arriving in advance of the event, we had the opportunity to see the mother and baby together. This is not for the faint of heart as we watched baby "Harlequin" occasionally venture out to the edge of the ledge, yikes!!

As guests arrived, there were banding displays and literature available for all of us to learn more about this species at risk.

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation were accompanied by some of their educational raptors, including two gorgeous Peregrine Falcons...

...and this delectable Barn Owl....

....that was really a cuddle bear enjoying a day at the spa, just look at that mug!!

But I digress, back to the Main Event:

I had decided to do most of my photography from outside, so unfortunately that meant forfeiting a portion of the presentation, but it was a thrill to see how they manage to capture the chick without getting killed. The humans, that is:

With the mother right there.

A mother that can dive at speeds of 160 kilometres per hour.

With pointy not-so-little-talons.

With a pointy, not-so-small, hooked bill.

Murray challenged me to join the MNR fellow on the "swing set" journey to the nest, as he knew my affinity for danger reputation for being an inquisitive birder, but I declined as my safety gear was at home (yeah, right, NO WAY!!!)

So off they go (better you guys than me, that's all I had to say about it, were they nuts??):

Now I should mention that the dad was MIA all day, so at least these brave fellows only had to contend with one irate parent. As soon as they began their ascent, she began to cry and scream at them incessantly, but once she saw that they continued with their approach to her baby, she took to the air:

...on the defensive!

They remained there in place for about ten minutes, which seemed like an eternity to me, and no doubt for the mother and baby too. They do so to distract the mother, and eventually a holding box for the baby is lowered down to them from the roof by the bander:

The MNR fellow finally and swiftly (but still nowhere as swift as a Peregrine can fly!!) makes his move and places the baby in the box which is returned to the bander on the roof.

GOTCHA:

Safely back inside at the Harlequin office, the baby is weighed and determined to be a female:

And here she is, baby "HARLEQUIN", a little girl!

As Mark said, perhaps she's screaming after her first-ever close-up view of the human race?? And look at those sharp talons, at only three weeks of age! 

Resistance is futile:

A newly-banded "Harlequin" is held by The Honourable Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Natural Resources, as Harlequin CEO Donna Hayes and an unidentified woman (to me, my fault, shame on me!) look on with glowing pride:

But time has run our for us humans, as "Harlequin" must be returned to her nest, so the rooftop process is reversed.

The bands on her legs can be seen here, if you double-click on the photo (then hit the BACK button to return to the blog):

Mother "Quest" continues her attack does spins of joy and delight in the air when she sees her baby back home again, she knows she definitely made the right call to pay that ransom amount, especially as she had no input whatsoever from her missing mate "Kendal", grrrrr: 

But suddenly, right out of nowhere, swoops in "Kendal" (aka D², or Deadbeat Dad), after all of the excitment is over for mom and the baby. Those of us down on the street cheered in unison when he appeared, it was an unbelievable moment! 

So here's your proof positive that Harlequin ♥ Peregrines, as do I, and especially the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.

Please check them out at www.peregrine-foundation.ca

Many thanks to both Ann (I now forgive you for your trip out west!) and Mark Nash for including me in this amazing event, what an honour to be a part of it!

And my kudos and ♥ go out to all of those dedicated CPF volunteers who missed Tuesday's event because of their fledge-watch duty, as they keep a watchful eye on those young babies that may venture too far off their ledges and need rescuing!