Urban Peregrine Falcon "Lucky" at Humber Bay East in Toronto

Urban adult Peregrine Falcon at Humber Bay Park East on the Lake Ontario Waterfront in Toronto on 31 January 2016. Ron Pittaway and I watched it preen for a long time while dogs barked below the tree and families with children played and walked about. It's obviously used to people. It has a blue tag on the right leg and a black band with white letters Y72 left. Photo first posted on Facebook's Ontario Birds group with request for information, for which I thank Dan MacNeal, Lucie Kirchknopf, Chip Weseloh, Mark Heaton of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Mark Nash at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.

Lucky is a male Peregrine Falcon, hatched at the ICICI Don Mills and Eglinton nest site in Toronto on 12 June 2013. It weighed 600 g at 29 days old. During the winter of 2015, Lucky unsuccessfully courted Quest, the long-standing territorial female at the Harlequin nest site near Don Mills and York Mills. Then in spring 2015 he became the resident territorial male at the Etobicoke Sun Life Bloor and Islington nest site, where with O’Connor produced four young, two of which survived. It's tough growing up with plate glass windows.

Lucky also carries a silver band: 112604784. Since these numbers are difficult for observers to read, blue tape was attached so nestling watchers could identify and track the young. Eventually it will fall off, but in the meantime it helps identify the bird. Peregrine Falcon Lucky at Humber Bay East on 31 January 2016.