!!! Banding Success - Two healthy female hatchlings & the Resident adult identified via leg band!
July 08, 2011 - Niagara Falls
Mark Nash Reports:
A huge success today with two healthy hatchlings banded, a new nest tray installed with lots of nest substrate, hatchlings moved from the window ledge to the new nest (old nest cavity), and both parents attending the chicks!!
A big thank you to ALL involved today, as Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Power Generation, Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Niagara Parks Commission Police staff, and with John Millar and support rock climbers assembled at 9am this morning at the old Ontario Power Generation station down in the Niagara Gorge, we were all poised for a full day of activities and jobs to complete.
Like a well choreographed play and a solid game plan, 11 people organized and set into motion the days activities. Rock climbers setting up lines and ropes, banding table and banding equipment was being set up, safety instructions delivered and reviewed, over all game plan reviewed, nest tray fabrication underway and 210 pounds of pea-gravel being mixed and poured into the buckets, the days events were all completed with a overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
With the rock climbers down over the wall into the gorge, the two very healthy and very feisty hatchlings were extracted from the window ledge on the side of the OPG station wall, raised in the carrier to the upper roof elevation and were weighed, sexed and banded successfully by Anne Yagi and support staff of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Both hatchlings were identified as females, and they were named Lady Millar and Lady Phinney, and were examined and deemed healthy and cleared to be returned back to their parents and the new nest cavity.
While the hatchlings were being banded, the rock climbers re-positioned themselves to the old nest cavity to await the nest tray and pea-gravel substrate that would be lowered back down to them.
Measurements of the nest cavity were relayed back to the Mark Nash of the CPF via two way radio communications so that a nest tray could be prefabricated and assembled, then lowered via rope back to the climber down the wall face where they were holding their position awaiting to install it.
MNR support staff were preparing the buckets of pea-gravel and OPG staff were providing the necessary distractions to keep the resident adult peregrines away from banding team and the climbers.
By the end of day, and without incident, and thanks to the incredible efforts by all on both sides of the border, a new nest tray and nest substrate had been installed, the two hatchlings had been sexed, banded, examined, named, and returned to the new nest cavity, the banded resident adult has been identify. By Saturday morning, both resident adults were attending and feeding both of their offspring in the new nest.
A huge thank you to the Rochester group - (now nick-named the RFW,, - (the Regional Falcon watchers) who travelled from Rochester New York to Niagara Falls, Buffalo New York to provide the valuable observations from the Niagara Falls New York side of the falls,,,, that were able to visually confirm that both parents were in attendance and were already involved in feeding the hatchlings in the new nest cavity.
Another huge thank you to the Buffalo New York Department of Conservation - (NYDEC) staff, and to both Jackie and Connie of the DEC for providing all of the critical information and logistics on the birds activities, and to John for all of his photographic work that both confirmed the nesting activities of the peregrines and pinpointed the original nest site.
A great collaboration and incredible support by all those involved that has made this day such an incredible success!!
An outstanding group of people!!!!
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