Bruce Massey was on-site for a visit to the nest at 220 Duncan Mill Road and was able to see, when the female stood up, that the resident pair are still incubating their single egg. This egg is due to hatch any day now and so Bruce will be regularily visiting over the following days to look for a hatch.
We have just received updated news from Bruce that both Quest and Kendal are still hard at work with incubation activities at the Don Mills nest site. Despite the fact that they are incubating only one egg, they are never the less still very much committed. Its getting close to a hatch date if the pair have been successful and we are all watching them very closely.
Based on the start of their full time incubation activities, it is expected that if all has gone well, we should expect to see a hatch at the end of this week. As such, monitoring will be stepped up in the following days as the week progresses.
We must remember that Quest and Kendal are a new pair, still inexperienced, and this nesting thing is very new to them as first timers. There have been some challenges and bumps along the way, in addition to MANY factors that can cause a failed nest site. We have already seen lower success rates at many of the other southern Ontario nest sites this year, (and from experienced proven productive pairs) that have many addled / unhatched eggs in the nests this season.
All of our fingers are crossed!!
Stay tuned………….
A quick report from Bruce this morning from Harlequin and the Don Mills nest site. He reports that although he has not actually got an eyeball himself on the remaining egg, Quest and Kendal have been in hard incubation and attending to the nest like pros these days! Regular shift changes and full time incubation continues with both adults in attendance! Also, both birds have been regularly defending the territory from all avian passer-byes and so far all is looking good! Canada geese and Turkey vultures BEWARE!!
Stay tuned, more to come………..
CPF volunteer,Ann Brokelman sent along more fantastic photos of Quest and Kendal. Ann also reports seeing the pair mating. This was on April 30th. Thanks again to Ann for these images.
CPF volunteer and ace photographer,Ann Brokelman sends along these incredible shots of Quest. Neither rain nor snow prevented Ann from getting these pictures! WOW,OUTSTANDING,are the only words I can think of.
Usually,we find CPF links to news on the Rfalconcam forum,this one goes the other way for a change.This is MAK’s report of “The Rochester Gang’s” day visiting with Quest and Kendal. http://rfalconcam.com/falconwatching/?p=1624
The photos of Quest, included below this report are from CPF volunteer,Ann Brokelman. Many thanks to Ann for use of her incredible images. Folks from Rochester and everyone who has seen them at Harlequin just love them! Mark and Marion are very appreciative of them and wanted me to publically thank Ann for them.
Just as it appeared that everything was finally settling down to a normal routine for the birds, there were more challenges yet again for the pair to contend with. It was reported this afternoon that another peregrine crossed into the territory - (this time, a female peregrine), that had both Quest and Kendal take to the skies in hot pursuit in defence of their territory. After several minutes out of everyone’s sight, Kendal returned to the nest tray and resumed incubation duties.
Quest on the other hand, did not return in any short order and had everyone worried that a battle might have occurred between the two females and the victor may not have been Quest.
After waiting and watching for what seemed like an eternity, Quest finally did in fact return no worse for ware and they were both spotted back on the nest ledge. Shortly after Quest was convinced that the territory was clear of intruders, she did eventually relieve her mate from his incubation duties on the nest tray.
It was also reported that a second far more serious disturbance occurred when one of the occupants in the office suite that is located directly behind the nest tray unaware of the nest trays exact proximity to this windo, opened their blinds scaring Quest off the nest tray and had her bolting from the nest ledge leaving the eggs unattended and exposed to the elemants. Several minutes passed, and only after the occupant disappeared from the windows view, and the perceived threat was gone, did Quest return to the nest tray and resumed her incubation duties.
As a result of this action, efforts will be made to contact the occupants of the office suite for their support and cooperation to minimize these types of preventable disturbances.
As promised, I have enclosed some photos of the nest tray that you been requesting I post.
These shot were taken shortly after Tracy Simpson from the CPF delivered the nest tray to our location. While iorginally built and designed the nest tray for use at the Windsor nest site, Tracy and Steve were easily able to some some minor modifications to the tray while up at the CFP Raptor centre. tracy wss kind enough to transport the nest tray down to the Don Mills nest site, as Harlequin was kind enough to store it in their offices until we could get it installed on the ledge.
A good day indeed. We all had an opportunity to meet and greet our good friends from Rochester New York today while they were visiting Quest and Kendal here in Toronto. While it was a rather quiet day on the nest ledge and I was able to capture a few photos of the birds on the nest tray during one of the birds shift changes. While it is obvious who rules the roust, and the fact that Kendal is conforming to the family type of responsibilities. It appears that his bachelor lifestyle is over.
During the shift change when Quest relieved Kendal from his incubation duties, and by the look of Kendal’s body posture and actions, it appears that Quest had some additional instructions for him. In a serious of photos that I was able to take during this particular shift change, there was some serious vocalizing going on between the two birds that lasted for several minutes before he was allowed go. Quest took over the incubation duties and settled down on her two eggs.
It was worth noting that her body language today told yet a different story, in that it would appear the she may not be laying another any more eggs. Unlike the past week, where it was obvious that she was in production of eggs, (and with plenty of copulation going on during that time frame), that this was not the case today, despite the bright sunny and rather mild weather conditions for more than half of the day. Today, both the birds were more settled in to other more domestic activities.
As we departed Harlequin around 5pm, there was no indication that Quest was going to produce and lay another egg. Both birds are now involved in full time incubation duties and we can start the clock as to a predicted hatch date. We all have our fingers crossed that the eggs are fertile and looking forward to the birds successfully hatching one or both of the existing clutch of eggs.
In another photo, Kendal roosts on a concrete pillar looking rather dejected after the misses seemed to have scolded him for something he did wrong? Perhaps he is only just realized what he has got him into?
Domestic Bliss,,, two eggs in the nest tray and full time incubation appears to have started. The countdown for a predicted hatch day starts today..
We all have our fingers crossed that the eggs are fertile and looking forward to the birds successfully hatching one or both of the existing clutch of eggs.
A big thank you to all of the CPF supporters that came out in force to show a little solidarity, to our great friends from Rochester and to Harlequin for their generosity, kindness and support..
