Red Deer’s highest and tiniest nursery has become one hot commodity for a couple of female birds.
The Telus tower in Highland Green is home to a popular Internet webcam on a pair of peregrine falcons and their five yet-to-be-hatched eggs. But earlier this year, when no one was watching, the telecommunications perch was site of a real catfight, or in this case, bird fight.
A female peregrine falcon dubbed Georgeanne returned to nest on top of the tower this spring. Another female, called Perry, was interested too.
Judy Boyd, spokeswoman of the Red Deer River Naturalists, said Georgeanne was a smaller, older bird that had been banded with metal rings around its two legs in the 1990s.
She was born along the Red Deer River, banded in Red Deer and recorded by Fish and Wildlife as the breeder at the Telus tower last year.
“When she went to go back into the tower, she and Perry had a fight,” Boyd said.
Georgeanne ended up on the ground with one wing twisted up. Perry won the nest, and Windsong the male peregrine falcon.
Boyd’s husband Larry, who helps provide first aid assistance for the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, was called out. With the help of some bystanders at Bower Ponds, he caught her.
The bird didn’t have anything broken, but its wing was injured enough that it couldn’t fly.
Gordon Court, a biologist with Fish and Wildlife in Edmonton, picked up Georgeanne at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre where she was recovering. He has since given her to a falconer to help Georgeanne get her strength back to fly.
Court brought Georgeanne on Friday during a talk on peregrine falcons at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre.
“As soon as she has enough strength in her wings she will be released in the wild again,” Boyd said.
Countless people have been watching real-time video of the Telus tower’s parents to be. It can be found through www.reddeeradvocate.com and www.rdrn.fanweb.ca
“We’ve got so many people following the webcam that this is just another facet of the story,” Boyd said.
The eggs are expected to hatch soon on top of the 111-metre-high tower.
Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, another pair of peregrine falcons has returned to the top of the Capri Hotel and Convention Centre. No word yet as to how many eggs they have.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com