Quest at the Nest with a Winter Visitor
December 27, 2015 - Toronto - Don Mills
Bruce Massey Reports:
I attended the Duncan Mill Road site on Saturday to check in on Quest and Skye. I found Quest in the nest box doing some house cleaning, moving several pebbles around as I watched. She stepped out into view on the porch and I was able to confirm her band number at that time in my scope. A male was perched on 240 Duncan Mill Road and I turned the scope on him for a view. My initial look caught red tape on the USFW that he bears on his right leg. Knowing that this is not consistent with Skye, I called Tracy for a consultation. I continued to focus my attention on the male and was finally able to get a read on his band number. This male is donning a solid black recovery band marked W over 78. This is McKenney from the Amexon nest site hatched in 2014.
Last year, Skye migrated in late fall and Quest spent the winter with a visitor then as well. Lucky, at the time a one year old and also from the Amexon site, spent time around the territory with Quest until spring when Skye returned. Lucky then moved on to take over the Etobicoke Sun Life nest site territory where he is currently the resident male.
It is quite possible that this is the same scenario as last year. Skye has migrated for the winter and Quest has chosen to remain. A young male finds his way into the territory and spends the winter until the man of the house returns. We do believe that this is the case and we will look for Skye’s return in the spring. This is the exact same situation that we see at the William Osler site every winter now so it is not extremely out of the ordinary. The best news that comes out of these observations is that McKenney has come a long way from the young fledgling watched over a year ago by the Amexon team and is looking very much a dapper little man.
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