Calling All Falcon Watchers

It's banding time around Toronto and beyond. I invite you to any or all of the following public bandings. Sunlife Centre ..Islington and Bloor May 24th 1:30pm Sheraton Centre ..Downtown Toronto May 23rd 1:30pm 43rd Floor Yellow Pages TO BE ANNOUNCED at Markham and Milner (some bandings because of where they are are closed to the public) Shortly after the bandings, CPF will be starting Fledge Watch. We have a team of volunteers on the ground at each nestsite we monitor. This year we have a happy problem. With the success of the Peregrine Falcon recovery, we have 30 sites to monitor(some we let the folks on site do as they are busy work places which arent safe for us to run around), so we will need as much help as we can get. Fledge watching involves being on site to watch over the fledglings when they are learning to fly. Often they come to the ground and need to be rescued. We need your help this year to do the best job we can to help. Please contact me or The Canadian Peregrine Foundation if you are interested in helping in your area. Each watch lasts about 10 days. Any amount of time you can spare would help, the more the better of course! No experience is necessary there is always a senior watcher present. You will help by watching fledglings and keeping track of them as they learn to fly. Rescue training will be provided. No amount of time is too small! A few hours would be appreciated, it will give someone a break or cover an important time when help is most needed. The difference you can make is stunning. We have the best example of what a difference a fledge watch can make to an endangered species, right here in Toronto. Back when Peregrine's first returned to southern Ontario to nest, a young chick named WindWhistler was hatched at what is now Etobicoke's Sunlife Centre nest. He is now legend and never would have been had it not been for fledge watchers. Windwhistler was rescued after his first flight and is the best example of "so what U saved one bird,what good does that do?" Well...Windwhistler is now 14 years old and the resident male at our 18 King St nest. He double dipped for a few years being resident male at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto too. He is as far as we know Canadas most prolific nesting male, with this years brood of 4 bringing his total to 41 young. Several of those young are now producing chicks in Ontario and a few US states. This season his Great Grandchicks have been hatched at Canada Square (Yonge and Eglinton) in Toronto. We are trying to construct a full family tree. We are somewhere between 80 and 100 Peregrine Falcons being related to Windwhistler. So there my friends is the difference saving just one bird can make!!! I hope U will strongly consider joining one of the many fledge watch teams around southern Ontario. Check www.peregrine-foundation.ca to see where you might get involved.