June 15, 2011 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
I’m surprised these young didn’t fledge today. They are in such good shape & so frisky that I thought they would have tried. Lots of flapping, taunting each other also grooming until they have almost no downy feathers anywhere. It was a perfect day weatherwise for an attempt but neither of them took the opportunity. Perhaps they will try tommorrow (in the rain). I’ll keep you posted!
Posted on June 15, 2011 8:19 pm
June 11, 2011 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
It seems that if only the young ones here could get rid of those pesky white downy feathers, they would take the big jump. They don’t have many left and they’re quickly shedding them. When they flap their wings like crazy in the box, it looks like a snow storm. The downy feathers just fly in the air. It will be very soon (perhaps tomorrow) when they get the guts to go. Trouble here is that there nothing but a whole lot of water 200 feet below their box. If they can’t fly, they will have to swim. We all know that won’t happen especially with 200 seagulls trying to drown the falcon who can’t swim! I’ll let you know when they do get the nerve.
Posted on June 11, 2011 7:47 pm
June 07, 2011 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
Just wanted to let everyone know that everything is all good here (so far). The 2 eyases are losing lots of their white down, their feathers have quickly appeared & we are expect them fledge soon, perhaps this weekend! Mom & Dad have been supplying plenty of food for them. Olivia & Max have been exercising their wings, preening and getting very brave by venturing out of the safety of the nest box to the ledge outside. They have been stumbling around on it or just laying down looking over the edge down to the to the Welland Canal so very far below. Apparently they have no fear of heights even at this young age. We have had some very bad weather here the last week (high winds) & I’m sure that we would have lost both these young falcons had it not been for the move from the beam to the box. They are not out of the woods yet but at least they still have a chance.
Posted on June 7, 2011 8:00 pm
May 29, 2011 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
After last weeks transfer of the young ones from the beam to the nest box, Anne Yagi, Mark Nash & Corrine were back to band the eyases. The small entourage were here at 10 am. Rolf Numsen promptly signed them in and equipped them with the necessary saftey ppe required. After a nice meet & greet with the plant manager Frank Jantz they made their way up to the 12th floor with all gear in hand. It was 10:30 when they reached the top. We are lucky here to have a drop down door in front of the nest box. With a camera in the box & a monitor in our lunch room we were able to know when to drop the door without trapping an adult in the box or dropping it on a young one (via walkie talkie). After the door closed, Mom & Dad were a little upset to say the least. Corrine extracted the young from the box and with Anne’s expertise the young’s sex & age were determined. The 1st was a male weighing in at 556 gms. His band is 50/Y, we named him Max. The 2nd turned out to be a female weighing in at 838 gms. we named her Olivia. Anne & Corrine said both appear to be in good health. By 11:15 the birds were back in their box. Shortly after, Mom was back too. A big thanks to the MNR, CPF & ADM management for helping these rare birds have a chance at survival. Some pics of the day are included.
Posted on May 29, 2011 10:13 pm
May 26, 2011 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
It’s only been 5 days since the young ones here were moved from the beam to the nest box. I think it’s probably a good thing Mark decided to move them when he did because these young falcons are now very mobile, they are stumbling all over the nest box. Had they still been on the beam, one or both might have met their fate by now. It is a treat to watch Mom feeding the young ones with the food that Dad proficiently supplies. We are thrilled to watch as these falcons have had no luck the last 2 years producing young. Banding is scheduled for this Saturday.
Posted on May 26, 2011 9:01 pm
May 23, 2011 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
After the falcons here lost a single egg Mar.24/11, they decided to lay 2 eggs on a narrow beam below their nest box. The beam would allow no chance of a successful fledge. The year before our nest box was installed we lost 3 healthy chicks @ 3 weeks of age. They fell off the same beam where this year’s resident falcons laid their 2 eggs. On May 05/11 the 1st egg hatched, the 2nd 2 days later. This weekend the MNR & CPF transferred the 2 hatchlings to the safer nest box. The adults were very upset at the ordeal but soon found the young ones & have nicely settled into their new condo with dad supplying plenty of grub for the family. The chicks were not quite old enough to band so Anne will be back again next week to do so. Many thanks to Anne, Mark & Tracy for giving the young ones a shot at survival. Also for some great shots of the day (included).
Posted on May 23, 2011 2:29 pm
March 24, 2011 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
On our frigid Wednesday morning this week I arrived at work bright & early to find the resident female warming a single egg amidst the snow banks surrounding her. She stayed on it the entire day. At 9am today (Thursday) the egg was intact & the adult was treating it as normal, incubating & turning it. At 10am I checked the monitor & low & behold both the egg & mother were nowhere to be seen! What the heck? I have no idea if she broke & ate the egg or if something else happened. There is no human or animal access to the box (other than birds). She has since been in & out of the scrape but has not laid another egg yet.
Posted on March 24, 2011 7:52 pm
December 15, 2010 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
2010 was another frustrating season in Port Colborne. The site produced 8 eggs in 2 clutches with not one successful hatch. The 1st 4 eggs were produced by the territorial female from 2009 “Treasure” from Cleveland. We did not have a monitor early in the season but when we did get connected on Mar.27/10 there were 4 eggs under full incubation. By Apr. 10/10 all 4 eggs were gone. An intruding female is on site. The intruding bird is unbanded. Between Apr. 28/10 & May 06/10 the unbanded bird produced 4 eggs. However by May 11/10 there are only 3 eggs. On May 13/10 an adult breaks & consumes an egg. May 14/10 another egg is missing (don’t know how), leaving only 1 egg which was totally neglected & on July 25/10 removed from the scrape & dissected. The rotten egg was nothing but a rotten liquid soup. The eggs were not fertilized. The male for 3 clutches of 4 eggs in the last 2 years is the male we call “Buffalo Bill” from Buffalo NY (2007). In the last 2 years there have been 3 different females lay 4 eggs each yet none have hatched. We think Buffalo Bill may be shooting blanks & with a name like that it really is a shame!
Posted on March 22, 2011 1:23 pm
May 18, 2010 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
The 4 eggs that were once here (for a second time this year) are now only 1. Not sure how the 1st one went missing but I saw the female consume the 2nd one that went missing. This is way too wierd for me to comprehend, but I’m hoping she must have known that the egg she ate was not fertilized because when she ate it, the yoke & white were clearly visible. I think if it was a viable egg that there would have been an embryo or something solid in the egg. So to this point, she has 1 egg left & is on it constantly. We are hoping that this egg will eventually hatch. Never a dull moment here in Port Colborne! Mostly frustrating ones.
Posted on May 18, 2010 9:21 pm
May 06, 2010 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:
Believe it or not, another egg appeared today. For a brief moment, the female was off the scrape & I clearly saw 4 eggs. The 4th egg could have been there before Monday (when full incubation started) but out of camera view. The camera covers most of the scrape but not the whole thing. Another good thing is that dad (who we call Buffalo Bill) is now pitching in with the incubation process. Hopefully he wasn’t shooting blanks & the eggs are fertilised, as they are taking very good care of them to date.
Posted on May 6, 2010 7:44 pm
