!!! Finally an update - Quest & Kendal, Eggs and a New Nest Tray!
April 22, 2011 - Toronto - Don Mills
Tracy Simpson Reports:
- April 22, 2011 - Toronto - Don Mills
Tracy Simpson Reports:
We would like to start off by apologizing to all of the folks that have been waiting patiently for updates regarding Quest and Kendal. This has certainly been a week of non-stop field work for the CPF volunteers and staff as we have been making contact with all of those that were needed to make this such a great success and to coordinate this effort on behalf of our young territorial pair. We haven’t had a moment, until now, to share our experiences and so we apologize for the delay.
All of the efforts of the many folks behind the scenes that have made this such a success story for the birds would not have been possible were it not for the many people that came together to support the CPF for Quest and Kendal. Donna Hayes, her management team and all of the staff at Harlequin have been incredible with sharing their observations, opening up their offices to the CPF staff to monitor the birds and to gather the necessary logistics needed to devise a plan of action to provide the birds with a more suitable nesting situation. Paul Melady at Berkley Property Management Inc., the Board of Directors of MTCC 918 and the staff that manage the building where the birds have chosen to set up house have been very supportive. We would also like to thank both the owners and tenants at the host building itself, especially those that occupy the 6th floor where the nest tray is now located for their interest, kind support and care for the nesting pair. We thank all of these folks for their cooperation and support of the CPF, as it has been instrumental in allowing this initiative to move forward.
A huge thank you to Mark Heaton from the Aurora District office of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources who was terrific in directing the support of the province to implement this initiative so swiftly and assuredly. But all would have been impossible had it not been for the amazing folks at Solar Group Inc. for their prompt jump to action to support the delivery of the CPF nest tray and pea gravel to the ledge. We must also offer a special thank you to Bruce Massey and Tracy Simpson for their swift action in confirming the identity of the birds, the location of the nest site and the retrofitting of the nest tray in preparation for installation.
That said, the events of 220 Duncan Mill Road unfolded as follows;
Monday April 11th
· Donna Hayes, CEO of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, contacts the CPF head office regarding a pair of peregrines outside her window. One is donning a backpack radio transmitter.
· Marion Nash checks the travel diary for Quest. It has her at 220 Duncan Mill Road area for the last 5 days.
· Bruce Massey is immediately dispatched to the location and positively identifies Quest by her alpha numeric band number.
- Wednesday April 13th
· Bruce Massey returns to the Harlequin offices to identify the male that is holding this territory with Quest. He positively identifies Kendal, a 2009 hatch from 18 King Street East nest site, by his alpha numeric band number. Bruce reports confirmation of courtship and territorial behaviour, in addition to bearing witness to several copulation sessions, nest scraping and food exchanges on several different ledges. The pair has yet to select a specific ledge.
Friday April 15th
· Bruce Massey and Tracy Simpson in attendance at the Harlequin offices to monitor the courtship behaviour of the territorial pair. Kendal dispatched a rogue male from the area and chased off several other large birds. Male provided 4 feedings throughout the hours of observation. Nest scraping and courtship behaviour seen on three different ledges.
- Monday April 18th
· Mark and Marion Nash on site to share the news with the media. They observed Quest and Kendal throughout the day to be attending 3 different ledges and working on creating scrapes.
· Observations noted at the time were that no substrate was available on the selected ledges, there was very poor nesting conditions and only bare concrete available. At that time, a plan of action was discussed to install a CPF nest tray with suitable pea gravel substrate. It was clearly noted by her behaviour and body language that an egg was imminent. Arrival of the first egg was predicated to arrive overnight or by the following morning.
Tuesday April 19th
· Shortly after noon, Donna Hayes calls CPF head office to inform us that an egg has just been laid on ledge #5 of 220 Duncan Mill Road.
· Mark Nash attends the site. Quest has left the egg since laying it and has shown only minor interest in attending to it at all and it appeared that she was confused by it.
· Inquires are made with Solar Group Inc. regarding the installation of a nest tray. Berkley Property Management Inc. contacted in regards to acquiring permission to access the roof / ledge to install the CPF nest tray.
· In preparation for potential installation, the nest tray is made ready.
- Wednesday April 20th
· Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Mark Heaton is contacted regarding the birds situation and our proposed plan to have a nest tray installed on a ledge of the building where the peregrines wee attempting to set up house.
· 3:45pm – Quest was observed by Mark Nash and a dozen or more Harlequin employees in a deliberate action to roll the egg off of the ledge and it falls to the sidewalk below.
· Marion Nash calls and coordinates Solar Group Inc., Berkley Property Management Inc., Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources; the installation is set for Thursday.
· Marion Nash calls the CPF insurance company and obtains liability certificates to cover those involved.
· The nest tray and pea gravel are delivered to the site.
Thursday April 21st
· 3:50pm – It was reported to the CPF that Quest lays another egg on a different ledge of 220 Duncan Mill Road
· 5:30pm – With diminishing wind gusts, Solar Group Inc gives a green light for a safe decent to the ledge.
· 5:45pm – Access to the roof of 220 Duncan Mill Road is made and Solar Group Inc. begin the decent of the building face.
· 6:00pm – The nest tray is in place, the egg has been transferred and the climber has descended.
· During the following three hours, both adults made frequent passes to check out the new nest tray and aborted landings on the ledge at the very last moment. Quest lands on the ledge to the left of the nest tray and remained there inspecting the nest tray with curiosity until it became too dark to see. She had not settled in for the night but remained at the edge of the ledge focussed on the nest tray.
- Friday April 22nd
· Bruce Massey on site at daybreak and finds Quest in the nest tray on the egg. She remained there for over an hour before taking off over to 225 Duncan Mill Road roof.
· Both Quest and Kendal witnessed by Bruce Massey defending the territory from geese. They both now demonstrate a strong affinity to the nest site and nest tray.
· Kendal, the resident male, lands on the edge of the tray and inspects the egg. Clearly the male did not realize what should be done with it. He does not enter the tray to incubate.
· Quest returns and settles in on the egg. She is very comfortable with the nest tray and is quick to incubate the egg. She remains for several hours, occasionally turning the egg.
· 5:00pm – Marion Nash witnesses Kendal delivering food to Quest on the nest tray. They both leave and fly up to the roof of 220 Duncan Mill Road and copulate. Quest eats the food that Kendal provides and takes up a position on 225 Duncan Mill Road.
· 8:00pm – Quest has returned to the nest tray and resumed her incubation duties and as darkness falls she appears to have settled in for the night.
The decision to provide a nest tray at this site was based on our extensive knowledge of the resident female, Quest. She was hatched in 2008 in Rochester, New York in a man-made nest box with the same pea gravel substrate that we have now provided for her. Over the past several years, we have monitored and followed Quest’s travels via observation reports provided to us by communities from Kingston, Ontario to Port Colbourne, Ontario and many in between. On two occasions in the past 16 months, we received observation reports of Quest challenging resident females occupying other CPF nest boxes for ownership of them. Now that she is at breeding age, it is obvious to us that Quest has been seeking a familiar environment similar to her own upbringing to raise a family of her own. We are overjoyed to have had the opportunity to provide that for her.
It is clear throughout our observations today, that Quest and Kendal are inexperienced new parents. Kendal, our two year old resident male, has the duties of providing food and defending the territory down to a science. He has chased away a rogue male that entered the territory, dispatched geese and turkey vultures and provided more food for Quest than she could eat. He has taken the excess food and created larders on adjacent buildings that he is able to deliver as needed. He has yet to understand the role he must play in the incubation process and will require more direction from the female before he truly takes on that task. Clearly he was bewildered as to what to do with this egg; he guarded, he watched, and he stared for a lengthy period of time while on the nest tray. He then turned his back to the egg and looked over his shoulder at it, staring again for a long period of time. He has no idea what to do with it… …yet. Quest, our three year old resident female, has taken on to the nest tray and made it her own. She is without doubt very comfortable and willing to incubate now that she has a gravel base to work with. She has joined in the defence of the new nest tray today with the grounding of a goose and has worked away at expanding the scrape by gingerly moving bits of gravel to make it a suitable home for her potential young. Her incubation duties have not yet become full time as she has left the nest tray on several occasions to roost on an adjacent building. Always within sight of her egg and nest tray, she has left the nest unattended for periods that certainly highlight her inexperience as a producing adult. But regardless of their lack of experience, both adults have gone through a distinct change in behaviour as their affinity and defence of the nest tray and the egg within it has increased dramatically since the installation.
There is a massive amount of pictures that have been taken over the last week that need to be resized and organized prior to their posting. They will be put up as fast as possible.
Stayed tuned for Chapter 2.