Outdoor Ontario
Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: Trillian Flummox on April 08, 2014, 05:06:56 PM
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As many of you know there is a pair of Common Ravens nesting on one of the smoke stacks at the Portland Energy Centre along Unwin Avenue near the Leslie Spit. There is now a group of naturalists who are trying to monitor the success of this breeding pair, but they need your help. It would be greatly appreciated if you would record any observations of these Ravens on this thread. Please include the date and approx. time of your sightings. Ian Sturdee will read your posts and add them to his data collection.
Thanks Everyone! -Kris Ito
p.s. If you are wondering exactly where the nest is, look for a set of shorter, twin smoke stacks located between the two taller ones. The nest is on the right-hand stack, toward the right-hand side of the highest walkway.
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deleted my post
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I am the person collecting observations of the Ravens nesting. We have some pretty good evidence now that they are laying eggs and may already have completed egg laying.
This morning, before dawn, a Raven left the nest, which is an indication it was on the nest all night, a good sign. We also discovered today that a spotting scope placed at the entrance to the Leslie Spit can actually see the head and tail of a Raven on the nest- it is far away enough that the view is "flat".
If you have a scope, try it out and let us know if you can or cannot see it. If you do not have a scope, close-in observations are still important because the scope view is too far away to see the Raven carrying food.
Any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated, especially on the weekends when our own coverage is spotty. Remember, lack of seeing anything is still important so please let us know with times. Thanks a bunch.
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Yesterday (Wednesday) a raven flew through the wet woods at 8:30 AM.
Later, it flew towards the building with the smoke stacks and perched on the east wall for a while at 10:30 AM.
Today, Margaret reported seeing a raven fly by at 8:00ish.
I didn't observe it.
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April 11
9:45 am - One Raven on the nest, only the head was visible
10:00 am - Croaking loudly, one chased a Red-tailed Hawk over the woods, attacking it several times in flight. Both flew into the trees where the hawk tried to take shelter; the pursuit continued from branch to branch until I lost sight of them.
11:00 am - One observed on the roof of the energy centre just below the nest. It appeared to be picking at something at its feet and was then seen holding something white in its beak. It then flew off behind the building and I was unable to see if it returned to the nest.
12:30 pm - One seen flying low over the large piles of rubble east of the nest.
-kris
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At 7:30 this morning Raven seen on nest by Don Johnston with spotting scope.
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At 2:09 this afternoon a Raven was in a tree down near the entrance to the Harbour SIde Marina/Wet Woods. It was pulling at small branches above its head. It flew further over towards the checkin gate on the road and sat in another tree for a few minutes. It then flew back towards the nest site but I lost sight of it. It didn't carry anything in its beak.
On occasion I could hear a Raven calling from up near the nest site until 3:30 when I left the Wet Woods.
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April 12th, 4:30 pm & 6:00 pm - one raven observed on the nest; just able to see its head poking up
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April 13th one Raven left the Portland Energy Centre (I assume) around 11:15am and headed east over Unwin. Some time after 3:00pm (I forgot to check the time) I saw one heading back to the Centre but didn't see if it actually landed in there.
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April 14th - No sight or sound during my morning visit to the Wet Woods. However at about 11:45 am, on the way home I spotted a Raven above the Tim Hortons at Leslie & Lakeshore, being mobbed by at least 6 Grackle and a couple of Starlings. Poor guy, they were quite relentless - guess now he knows how the Red-tail feels. - Kris Ito
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I don't know if other sightings of Ravens are requested but:
On April 15 around noon I saw a Raven on top of a telephone pole at Lakeshore and BROWN'S LINE.
It was calling in a high-pitched kind of croak.
Flew off after about 5 minutes from when I had noticed it.
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April 16th, 3:40pm. I was watching a Red-tailed Hawk hunting a bunny when a Raven came flying in and told him to get lost and an argument ensued. About five minutes later both were continuing their "discussion" heading north on Leslie over the streetcar barn construction. About 4:00 the Raven returned and headed back to the power station.
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Thanks everyone for your posts. For those who use their scope please post even if you do not see anything. Each time I have checked this week there has been a Raven on the nest.
I also checked on two days before dawn to see if a Raven came off the nest as it became light. In both cases it did. Thus it probably spent the night on the nest.
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April 18th-1:47 pm- Two ravens observed on the roof just below the nest.
6:40 pm- One bird flying east of Unwin Street-calling constantly.
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April 20th I saw one Raven flying west to east over the parking lot of Ashbridges Bay at 9:30am.
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10:10 AM flyby today. lots of noise. circled over the spit once and headed towards centre island.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/13952498711_fc4d360f04.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nfWcLB)raven (https://flic.kr/p/nfWcLB) by mr.sharp-photo (https://www.flickr.com/people/29553317@N02/), on Flickr
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On April 21st around 8:15 a.m. I was standing on the north side of Bay D when I heard a Raven croak several times quite loudly, and then the bird flew up, mobbed by Red-winged Blackbirds. The Raven flew north with something in its mouth, perhaps a nestling, but before too long, it dropped whatever it was and flew over to the top of a nearby pole, where it came to rest. I continued walking south and didn't see the bird again.
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When I was driving home from the Wet Woods this afternoon (3:59) I noticed one Raven circling the smoke stack where the nest is so I pulled over to watch. It landed on the rail beside the nest, dropped down to the nest and both Ravens stood up and seemed to greet each other with outstretched wings. Then one settled back down and the other flew off slowly, drifting down towards the big rubble pile on Unwin, and out of sight. The whole performance took about 3 minutes on a cool non-Spring like day.
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April 22, 12:05 pm - one Raven flew into the nest from the east; I did not see it leave again.
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April 23, 10 am - Both Ravens observed flying into the centre of the woods; they perched in trees close to one another for a couple of minutes before one flew back to the nest. I lost track of the second bird.
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April 26 10:25am.
Flying east to west along Unwin towards the Hearns derelict. It U-turned and flew back towards the wet woods then turned south and flew towards the marina.
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today, 9:25 AM, the raven flew low over the baselands of the spit and went east.
Basically, came in over the main gate, then went east and disappeared somewhere.
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May 1st
approx.10:30 am - one Raven observed flying into the woods
approx.12:15 pm - one Raven being mobbed by unidentified small birds as it flew over the bay towards the nest
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May 2nd - One raven being chased by a pair of grackles near the parking lot at Ashbridge's Bay, flying west to east.
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10:30 AM today. one raven flew southsoutheast, vocal as flying.
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May 2nd
9:30 am - One Raven seen flying from the general direction of the nest into the woods carrying something in its beak; moments later it came back out and perched in a tree near the Unwin bridge.
11:00 am - One Raven seen chasing a large Red-tailed Hawk over the woods heading north/east.
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My sightings of the Ravens today were very similar to yours Kris. I saw one Raven fly back to the nest carrying some kind of shrubs/branches. And earlier I saw one frantically chasing a RTH. The hawk kept climbing higher and higher, with the Raven in tow...at one point they got so high, I lost sight of them. They were up there.
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May 6th
8:30 am - one Raven flying from the direction of the nest into the woods
9:00 am - one Raven returning to the nest with something in its beak; it stopped first on the roof of the building, then continued up to the nest where it traded places with its mate, who flew towards the east.
11:00 am - one Raven flying south from the nest past the woods, croaking loudly
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I saw a Raven fly over Ashbridges Bay today at about 6:15pm. It's very likely that it was one of the Unwin Ravens. It was being harassed by RWBB. It flew towards the sandy beach area, stuck around for a couple of minutes and then made a big circle and I figure that it eventually made its way back to the Spit.
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May 12
9:25 am - one Raven flying east over the Canadian Tire store
11:40 am - one croaking and flying into the woods from the direction of the nest
12:30 am - one perched in a tree on the east side of the woods and then chased out by RWBB
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2014-05-16 / 11:12 AM - Two Ravens (one with food in it's mouth) flying low and heading westward over Rosetta McClain Gardens. Rosetta is located along the Scarborough Bluffs, some 8 kilometres to the east of the nest site as the Raven flies! :roll:
Walter :)
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Friday May 16
10:30 - one Raven heard croaking as it flew into Ashbridges Bay park from the west; several minutes later it was seen being chased out by Red-winged Blackbirds.
*Perhaps the birds seen by Walter at Rosetta McClain within the hour are another nesting pair??
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At 10:37AM today I saw the Raven chasing an Osprey away slightly north of the Wet Woods. The chase lasted about 15-20 seconds.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/14226162215_1cd6859a13_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nF7NoT)
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Tues. May 20
10 am - one Raven being chased out of the Wet Woods by Red-winged Blackbirds
11:45 - one Raven sitting on the nest (observed from top of a hill in the woods)
1 pm - one Raven being chased past the woods by a Peregrine
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On my way off The Spit tonight around 5 I looked up to the nest area from the entrance gate, with my binoculars, and could easily see two 'black shapes'. Perhaps they were two of the four chicks. They stayed pretty much in one place and no adult flew in or out. I watched from Unwin for about 5 minutes but other than small changes in shape and a little bit of motion, that was all I could see from so far away. Wonderful to know they are up there!