It hasn’t all been up for Quest and Kendal, the pair of rare peregrine falcons who fell in love last spring directly across from the headquarters of Harlequin Enterprises, the largest producer of romance novels on the planet.
There were those rather reckless parenting techniques. Last April, much to the horror of avid falcon watchers, first-time mom Quest nudged one of her three eggs off the fifth-storey concrete ledge the pair had shacked up on. Another egg simply vanished, leaving many to muse that she ate it, knowing instinctively it wasn’t viable.
Only one hatchling survived the terrifying incubation period. A furry ball fittingly named Harlequin (Harlie for short) was born in May.
Fast forward to late fall. Kendal, 3, a local boy born across from the King Edward hotel, took off from his North York abode for migrating season. Soon after that, a new, younger, male peregrine from downtown named Chester came around, “making goo-goo eyes” at Quest, 4.
The way Mark Nash of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation tells it, Quest, a pretty American from Rochester, N.Y., didn’t seem too pleased with the “interloper,” but tolerated his presence because “he’s the opposite sex and you never know.”
The bird earned himself the nickname “Chester the molester.”
But peregrine falcons, lightning fast and regal-looking with black-helmeted heads and hooked beaks, tend to mate for life. And, on March 19, Kendal returned to his haunt near Don Mills Rd. and Highway 401, much to the delight of Harlequin staff.
For Nash, who’s been studying the threatened birds of prey for 17 years, it’s not just biology, but also a matter of the heart. “There’s a certain amount of interest between the two that goes beyond instinctual relationships,” he said.
And with a few death-defying nose dives, Kendal chased Chester away.
“A winter vacation” is what Nash called the pair’s time apart, adding Kendal probably stayed locally because he wouldn’t have had the time to migrate all the way to South America and back.
For the past few weeks, the lovebirds have been copulating like newlyweds. And, as of Thursday, there were three speckled burnt-orange eggs. Falcon enthusiasts, of which there are many across the globe, have been keeping tabs on the couple via a camera that streams a live feed from their nest.
“We can expect hatchlings about a month from now and the fun will really begin!” said Harlequin CEO Donna Hayes, who was the first person to spot the couple from her office window last year. An avid birder since childhood, Hayes has binoculars and a telescope set up beside her desk.
The birds certainly appear to have their act together this time around.
“She was pretty green,” Nash said of Quest’s first foray into motherhood.
For one, Quest and Kendal have a new pad — a custom-made wooden home filled with pea-sized round gravel. It’s a marked improvement from the barren, windswept ledge.
On Thursday, Quest “brooded” her eggs by huddling them close to a bald patch on her belly, where it’s warmest. And Kendal, who last year often evoked descriptors like “clueless,” brought his partner a fresh meal and took over egg-warming duties at lunch.
Thirty years ago, peregrine falcons came close to extinction, largely because of the use of DDT and other chemicals. Thanks to human intervention, the birds have been making a comeback, especially in urban centres.
As for baby Harlie, now almost 1 year old, well, she was spotted flying around the area just a few months ago. Young peregrines, however, are hardwired to leave their home and wander for a year or two before finding their own mate to make a home with, said Nash, adding that if the youngsters don’t go, their parents will “encourage” them to move on.
It’s not far off from us humans.
“No more free laundry and free food,” said Nash.
