Our newly returned Skye wasted no time getting down to business today. Lots of bonding and beaking in the nest box with his mate Quest.
Bruce is on site and has just confirmed the male we’ve been seeing the past two days on cam is banded 50/X - Skye is back home from migration and home with Quest!
February 13th - 2015
A quick check of the various web cams, and we find the resident adults spending a little more time on the nest ledge these days despite the bitter cold record temps that we have been experiencing here in southern Ontario. With -20 daily temps, and -30 with the wind-chills, its been just toooo cold to get out and do much!! But the peregrines on the other hand, its just another cold day in the life of an urban peregrine it would seem.
While we can still confirm that Quest is still the resident adult female on site, (even know that he has finally ditched her back-pack radio transmitter), there is still a big question as to who the resident adult male is these days. Recent squabbling observed last month clearly indicated that a new suitor was on territory and Sky was not being seen at all.
Again, only time will tell as the days get longer, and the birds will be spending more time in view of the camera on the nest ledge.
Stay tuned………. Keep watching, and don’t forget to send us some snapshots if you happen to see a band number ID!
With the nest camera back online and showing us views of the adult peregrines active around the site, I decided to venture out to do a quick check in. One of the most conspicuous things about Quest these days is that in the camera shots taken of her at the box, the antenna of her transmitter could not be seen at all. I set out to try and confirm whether the female was Quest and if she was now backpack free.
I found her in and around the nest box soaking up the sun and with my scope was able to get excellent looks at her back. I can say without doubt that the backpack harness and transmitter she has been wearing for the past several years is no longer there. Quest was looking quite fabulous, all her feathers sitting neatly preened across her back and chest. I was also able to confirm her recovery band number as Black 96 over Green V as she sat sunbathing. The male was also quite active in the area and the two met at the box a number of times bowing and vocalizing together. I set the scope on the male and turned my attention to the task of confirming his identity.
He spent a great deal of time up on the Harlequin building sitting in the sun and I waited for him to do some stretching and reveal the look I was seeking. At first glance I was able to only see the USFW band and it was covered in blue tape. This was not consistent with Skye, the male that was with Quest this past nest season. I continued to watch and finally got the look that I was waiting for. The band number that I could clearly see was a solid Black Y over 72 with blue tape which turns out to be a bird hatched in 2013 at the Amexon nest site named Lucky.
We are unsure when this change took place and where Skye is currently. We will have to wait until spring to clearly understand whether Lucky or Skye will be Quest’s mate for the 2015 nesting season.
The best is yet to come!!! Photographers get your camera’s!!!
Remember that the family rearing process is far from being over, as its now dads turn. Over the next 30 plus days, the adult males will be doing most of the flight and hunt training with the fledglings, leaving the resident adult females some time to themselves to catch up on some most needed sleep and de-stress time. WE often see the adult females on the nest ledges doing some est box or nest tray rearranging and sleeping.
The fledglings will still be completely dependant on the adults for food, protection and support for the next 30 to 60 days as they will be staying very close to home around the nest buildings.
We often forget that the fledglings (I guess we can call them juveniles now, as they are the equivalent of teenagers in their mind set), still have no idea that they have actually been eating birds, as their food has been prepared by their parents. Many of the food packages have already had their heads removed, and with many of the feathers already having been removed, and as such, the juveniles have had no idea what they have actually been eating!
Of course its birds and only birds, but the young peregrines must be taught this!
They must be taught how to chase, stoop and dive for things and encouraged to chase their parents for the food. They must be shown what to hunt, how to hunt, how to catch it and how to kill it and then how to prepare it. The fledglings still have a long way to go before they are actually able to catch food themselves!
For the next few weeks, its all fun and games (at least for the fledglings),, but they are actually be taught important life skills that will prepare them for survival on their own this fall.
The fledglings, (juveniles) will succumb to a couple of thousand years to migrate in the fall and they will be on their own.
Most all of the resident territorial nesting adults at our southern Ontario urban nest sites will NOT migrate, and they will stay on territory all year. The adults have learned that you they can survive in the city all year long, (urban adaptation), and have figured out that there is an abundance of food around all year long, ideal habitat, no predation and lots of warmth from the buildings, especially from that of the illuminated signs that they roost on.
But the young of the year will go! Being creatures of habit (almost to a fault), what they know, they deal with,,, what they don’t know, they avoid! So its up to the parents to teach them as much as they can over next two months so the fledglings have the necessary life skills to be able to survive on their own. The fledgling juveniles typically migrate south to central and southern America for the winter months and have a very long trip south with many dangers.
Also remember, that the peregrine has more than an 80% mortality rate until it reaches breeding age (typically between two and three years of age), with the higher percentage of this mortality happening in the first year of their lives.
For all of the photographers out there, this is the best opportunity for some incredible photos of the adults training the fledglings over the next 30 plus days!! This is the time to really enjoy your peregrines,, so get out there with your cameras and spend some time with them!!
July 2rd - 2014
Saw our 3 at Don Mills/Duncan Mill site today. Pretty active up until the heavy rain around 3:45pm (lots of screeching, fancy flying and eating). Didn’t see much of Quest, only Sky dropping in food and watching the kids. At one point it looked like all 3 were nibbling away at something on separate ledges
Sally
Sunday June 29th - 2014
A quickly update from Ann B. who texted me at 9:30am this morning, all three fledglings were present and accounted for at the Duncan Mill nest site.
Saturday June 28th - 2014
Don is going into work for a bit tomorrow - (Sunday June 29th) and will check on the gang at Don mills. This morning (prior to yellow pages watch) the Duncan Mills juveniles were very noisy up on the Hqn building. I may be able to pop by Don mills again tomorrow to check in on them.
Bye for now!
Sally
June 26th-2014
A fairly quiet day. Little bit of play chasing early evening. Debbie and Murray had stopped by this afternoon and were there again for a bit when I popped down after work (Bonnie joined us). Richard popped by as well. Bonnie and I left the Duncan mill watch around 9:20pm. One juvie on 240 ledge and the other two on 225 roof. Quest brought in food to one Corner of 225 and all was pretty quiet they looked settled for the night. Bye for now!
Sally
A big thank you to Ping, one of the new fledge watch team members that had joined us at the Duncan Mills fledge watch for sending in one of the many photos that he took of Rainbow Dash earlier on in the fledge watch.
As you may recall, Ping was one of the team members that got a very introduction to why we are doing a fledge watch, as he jumped into action and rescued little Cosmo from the ground.
Thank you again Ping for being part of the team.
