Baby Harlequin doing well. Growing very fast indeed!!
June 25, 2011 - Toronto - Don Mills
Mark Nash Reports:
A quick spot check of the camera this morning has little Harlequin doing the same thing that most of the little ones at this age doing, trying to get out of the blustery winds, the direct sun and rain. Now that she is mobile and much older (and bigger) and can no longer be brooded by Quest given her increased size and body mass, the resident adults are not spending as much time on the nest ledge with her which is quite normal at this stage.
At this age, the hatchlings are able in part to better regulate their own body temperature, and as you can clearly see, she is very mobile and moving around on the nest ledge. She can move her position in and out of the sun, wind and rain allowing her to warm-up and cool down when she needs to. The thick heavy down acts both like an insulation from both the heat and the cold. Should there be any driving rain, you will see Quest back on the ledge sheltering her.
Both Quest and Kendal are although very close should any received threat present itself that would require their attention. Their parents in typical peregrine fashion, are roosting in a place that offers them a direct line of sight to the nest ledge, and as they have demonstrated on more than enough occasions, can get to the nest in seconds!!
You can now see Harlequins juvenile flight feathers clearly peeking out from beneath her thick down and you should almost notice a visible change on a daily basis as they continue to grow longer.
A huge thank you to Ann who is back from holidays and attended the Son Mills nest site this afternoon and send in soem great shots that she was able to take during her visit. Great shots indeed!
Stay tuned……
