BREAKING NEWS. New Female On Camera at MEC.
July 29, 2014 - Mississauga - Executive Centre
Tracy Simpson Reports:
Over the past two days there has been renewed activity in the MEC nest box that has been quite evident by the craters that the adults are now digging. This intensity of activity is not usual for this time of year; house cleaning and rebonding for sure but this is something more serious. Watchers of the camera at MEC were able to capture today several images of a banded female in the box currently bonding with the resident unbanded male. The female on camera is donning a purple USFW band on her right leg and a black over red recovery band on her left. She is definitely of American origins and we will be out at the site over the next few days working to try and get a positive identification from her bands.
While this news is somewhat sad after Rogue’s triumphant return to the wild from rehab, it is not unusual for the MEC nest site. Over the past 6 years there has been so many FEMALE turnovers that it is hard to keep track. Here’s what we know;
2009 breeding season begins with resident female Tessie who hatched three but at banding found dead next to the nest box. Chicks are removed for their safety and fostered at the William Osler Hospital nest site. New female banded black over red with a silver USFW maintains the territory.
2010 nesting season begins with new resident female banded black rotated 8 over red rotated 8 named Infinity hatched at Statler Towers in Buffalo. She hatches four young.
2011 nesting season begins with the same resident female Infinity but failed to hatch eggs. Territorial battles between Infinity and an unbanded female witnessed. Infinity holds the site into the late fall to early winter.
2012 nesting season begins with new resident female now unbanded and named Rogue who hatches three young. She is injured in a territorial battle during fledge period with another female banded black over green and is sent to rehab. The new female maintains the territory for the rest of the year.
2013 nesting season begins with same resident female as the fall identified as Cass from Michigan who hatches two chicks successfully. She is found dead in July. Rogue is released from rehab in August and reclaims her territory.
2014 nesting season begins with resident female as Rogue after her release from rehab and identified by her silver USFW on her left leg. She successfully hatches a single male chick this year. She has just recently been displaced by a black over red banded female and her disposition is unknown.
The CPF has been monitoring the MEC site for over a decade now and from 2009 onward the control of the MEC airspace by resident females has been in dispute and the resident adult female changes regularly. During the past 6 nesting seasons there has been 4 different females ruling the box and as of now there is a fifth. This is probably the most hotly contested site in all of southern Ontario as this is such an incredible nesting site with all of the best aspects laying right in the path of an important north/south corridor in the west end of the GTA. We will be out over the next few days to the MEC site as often as we can to identify the new female and look for signs of Rogue still in the area. Given that Mason, this year’s offspring, was so early and has long since reached a good level of flight skill, it is likely that he was well out of the way during this recent exchange. Check back regularly for updates on the status of the MEC territory and the identity of this new female on camera. Camera captures will be posted shortly.