Checking in at Holcim; Eggs Not Far Away!!
March 24, 2012 - Mississauga - Holcim
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On site yesterday at Holcim I immediately found the female on the lip of the ledge that the pair have traditionally nested on for the past several years. She was napping away and so I set my sights on trying to locate the male. He was on a higher elevation just out of her sight relaxing. He took to the air and came around to see her which started her whining for him. He flew up to an overhang and I wasn’t quite sure what he was doing until he appeared with food. He flew onto the ledge ee-chupping his little heart out and they exchanged the food and she was off. She didn’t go far with it, ending up on a low elevation with a direct line of sight to the nest ledge. After finishing off his gift, she remained where she was and started to drift off to sleep despite the winds that were challenging her balance on the small rail that she stood on. Within 10 minutes, he flew in and the pair mated. She stayed right where she was only moving slightly to get out of the gusty winds. Talk about egg lethargy!! She appears as though she is ready to lay and egg this weekend and I suspect that this will be the pairs first. With the winds and light rain yesterday, any egg previous to this would be covered by an adult. This was not the case as both adults were in my view for over an hour and at no time did one of the pair enter the ledge and disappear. Also of note, at no time did the female roost and her body posture told me that she is heavy with eggs. Great news for Holcim!! I will be back on site today to check in and see whether her behaviour has changed indicating that she has released the first egg of the season.
