Second Attempt at Hearn Has Failed
April 23, 2013 - Toronto - Hearn Power Station
Bruce Massey Reports:
Peter and Angela have been working on a clutch of two eggs in the old nest ledge that was used last year and they have struggled over the past week to ensure that both eggs were under their protective care. Of the two adults, it was Angela that was having the most difficulty arranging both eggs beneath her and often the egg closest to the edge of the ledge went uncovered outside of her wing. Peter on the other hand was all over those eggs and worked for hours to finally get them both properly beneath him.
With them having a challenging time positioning their eggs, I thought it would be prudent to head down and check on their progress and so I attended the site this past Sunday April 21st. I found the nest cavity empty and both adults off site. It wasn’t long after I arrived that the adults returned but neither of them entered the ledge to continue incubation. I attempted to find the eggs with the spotting scope but the one closest to the edge was now clearly gone. The one that was further back may have been present but I was not able to confirm its presence in the ledge. What was clear without a doubt was that this clutch was not being attended to by either adult. Peter was now showing an interest in another ledge to the left of the most recent scrape and managed to entice Angela to join him for a look. He was his usual self in defence of the territory addressing two Red Tailed hawks, a Kestrel and a Cormorant. I did witness the pair mating twice throughout my observation period indicating that they may not be done for the season quite yet but the bulk of the adults time was spent roosting and preening on the roof of the main building. At the end of the day, Peter did make a spectacular attempt at a pigeon that was flying north towards the plant. He made a direct flight out towards it and snatched the bird in mid-flight without missing a wing beat. He attempted to carry his heavy load back to the main building but Angela met him out over the yard and tried for a transfer. The pigeon was dropped and disappeared from my view and I don’t believe that it was recovered by either adult.
We certainly hope that Peter and Angela are able to sort out a good nesting location this year and settle in on a clutch this season. Last year’s success has Peter rather excited to try and we will continue to monitor and update you on their progress.
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