What Happened to Mariah’s Fifth Egg?
It seems that the Rochester Falconcam has entered the Twilight Zone. Overnight, one of Mariah’s eggs vanished. A careful review of the images from the cameras didn’t yield any clues as to what might have happened. The only thing we know for sure is that yesterday there were five eggs, and today there are only four.
The Rochester Falconcam team used Camera 1’s ability to pan and tilt to search the catwalk area just below the nest box. We were looking for shell fragments or any other indication that the egg might have been pushed out of the nest, but despite a detailed survey we found nothing. That leaves us to speculate as to the egg’s fate.
It is possible that the egg was damaged while it was being turned by one of the falcons. You’ll recall that falcons turn the eggs during incubation to ensure even heating of the egg. Earlier this year at a Peregrine nest in Ohio, one of the eggs was broken, so it’s possible that might have happened here too. If that’s the case, the most likely explanation for its absence is that she ate the egg, or what remained of it. The egg shell is a valuable source of calcium, and Peregrines often eat the shells after their young have hatched.
Some readers have wondered if Mariah might have discarded it because she realized it wasn’t viable. That’s unlikely. Peregrines, including Mariah, have been known to incubate eggs that turned out to be nonviable, even long after the other eggs in the clutch had hatched. Also, during reintroduction efforts, Peregrines’ eggs would often be taken for artificial incubation and “dummy” eggs put in their place. In those cases the falcons continued to brood the fake eggs as if they were real.
Even though we didn’t see any evidence of an egg when searching with our camera, it is still possible that it was ejected from the nest, either accidentally or on purpose. The camera has a couple of blind spots caused by objects that block the camera’s view of the catwalk, and the egg could be hiding behind one of those. Also, the weather may have played a role. If the egg was dropped onto the catwalk, the high winds at the top of the tower may have moved it out of camera range, or even blown it off the catwalk entirely.
The only way to learn more would be to make a visit to the nest box in person, and we won’t do that. Mariah is in the middle of brooding her eggs, and we don’t want to disturb her, certainly not for the sake of satisfying our curiosity. Unless there is some great calamity, no one will venture anywhere near the nest box until the eyases are removed to be banded in early June. Meanwhile, we’ll have to settle for speculation, and hope that the remaining eggs go on to hatch successfully.
-Jess
April 10th, 2007 at 11:47 AM
Do we have any idea if any of Mariah and Kaver’s offspring are in the area or have migrated back here for the spring/summer?
April 10th, 2007 at 12:24 PM
Jess
I have watch the Falcons for 3 years now and Ijust want to say thank you for the very detail reports that you post. They are very informative and I read them every day.
I am so glad that we can continue to watch and be a part of Mariah and Kaver lifes. Nature has a way of taking care of things as far as the fifth egg goes. We still have four and that is great.
Thank you for taking over the Falcan Cam.
Charlene
April 10th, 2007 at 1:11 PM
Thanks for the speculation as to the fifth egg. How long is incubation?
April 10th, 2007 at 1:14 PM
There were definately 5 eggs on 9th April at 17.39 uk time (11.39 Rochester time). Dad was brooding the eggs and mum returned and spent 5minutes trying to get him to move. I saw the change over between them on the web and there were 5 eggs at that point.
April 10th, 2007 at 2:37 PM
If one looks for the positives here, M&K will have a much easier time incubating the remaining eggs (poor skinny Kaver lol) & providing for up to 4 eyasses.
Jess, you’re to be commended for the quality of your posts. They’re clear, concise, informative & timely. Most of all, any speculation is clearly labeled as such. Great job!!!
April 10th, 2007 at 5:27 PM
Have you ever seen such beautiful eggs in your life? The coloring, the textured look…they are just gorgeous!
April 10th, 2007 at 5:44 PM
Let us just hope that the four eggs hatch OK, maybe it will be a bit easier for M & K. Thanks again Jess for your reports.
April 10th, 2007 at 5:59 PM
I think it is easier to see them lose an egg at this stage than to see the chicks die – I had to stop watching last year – too graphic. I hope these four potential chicks fare better!
April 10th, 2007 at 8:12 PM
I think the egg might have fallen of the ledge tof the tower while she was moving them close to her all acsidents happen in a life time. i hope the other chicks will survive thow
April 11th, 2007 at 10:41 AM
My 4th grade science classes have followed Mariah’s and Kaver’s nesting for years. It becomes a large portion of our “Living Environment” unit as we explore biomes and habitats, food chains and webs, adaptations and survival. The falcons are great role models.
Thank you so much for the interesting comments you are writing. I am able to share them with my classes and give them information I don’t have. Thank you!!
April 11th, 2007 at 12:03 PM
Is it possible the egg may have been eaten by a predator if the birds left the nest for a short time?
April 11th, 2007 at 2:07 PM
I was thinking it was eaten by the female also but is hard to say for sure!
April 11th, 2007 at 3:32 PM
My first year at looking at the birds! I am really enjoying the news clips and the camera. I can hardly wait to see them hatch, when will that be? Caye
April 11th, 2007 at 3:48 PM
mariah I feel sad about your egg that it got lost
April 11th, 2007 at 5:53 PM
Is there any speculation that the egg may have been taken by an intruder during one of M&K’s “changing of the guard” ? I read that Kaver had been quarreling with another raptor in the area. I wonder if one got in there & made off with the egg.
Thank you again for all the wonderful report. They’re informative, clear, & entertaining. You guys are doing a great job with the website this year!
April 11th, 2007 at 6:15 PM
When I viewed the nest this morning, that was around 8. I noticed that 1 of the eggs was out near the edge of the nestbox. It looked like there was also something near mamas wing, but couldn’t make it out.
They are both great parents.We enjoy watching them each year.
April 11th, 2007 at 8:25 PM
@Phayne & Carol- Anything’s possible, but it doesn’t seem likely that a predator was responsible. The disappearance occurred overnight, a time when rival Peregrines wouldn’t be active. Peregrines have a few natural predators that include the Great Horned Owl, but they are rarely found in cities. A rat or other large rodent might have taken the egg, but we have never seen evidence of animals like that near the nestbox. Also, the cameras showed that either Mariah or Kaver were on the eggs contstantly throughout the night. If a predator had stolen an egg, it couldn’t have been done without a fight, and there’s no evidence of a fight in the nest box. The stones are undisturbed and other than the missing egg nothing appears to be out of place.
@Margaret & caye- Watch for an upcoming article where we’ll talk more about incubation, including expected hatching dates!
April 12th, 2007 at 9:47 AM
Really enjoy watching everyday. I happened to notice that Mariah was not covering one of the eggs in one of the pictures, I think it was the day the egg went missing or the day before. It was outside her body while she was incubating, sitting outside her left wing while she was turned toward the bad of the box. It was one of the lighter colored eggs and looks to me like the space it was sitting in that seems to be empty in the picture you show of the 4. Just an observation.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:48 PM
Thank you, Jess, for your response. I have sent the Web site address to my children for their children to enjoy. Two of my grandchildren are being home schooled, and the curriculum is great for a science class. This is my fourth year of watching the falcons, and look forward to it each spring. My interest is also piqued as, though I live in Colorado, my mother is from Marion, NY – just a few scant miles from the Kodak complex – and several of my uncles and cousins have been employed by Kodak.
April 15th, 2007 at 4:47 PM
I co-write a column for our local newspaper which is also published on our town’s website. Since I have derived so much joy from watching the falcons year after year, I suggested that the parents who had bored children at home during Spring Recess, check out this website and become acquainted with these awesome raptors that we see frequently here in our area, but never can scrutinize.
If my calculations are correct, it seems like Mariah is going to be a mother around Mother’s Day this year. I check in every day and always check the Imprints to see if there are updates.
Thank you GVAS for your sponsorship of this worthwhile project. I have learned a lot and I am hoping that the children in this area are as excited about this website as I am.
Springwater, NY
April 15th, 2007 at 8:06 PM
Jess,
Isn’t there any new news as to what the Falcons are doingduring the day, etc.? None of the picture titles have changed in a week. Keep giving us that excellant information, please.
Also, why does my address remain withe the letters, but I don’t see them?
April 16th, 2007 at 7:30 PM
i am super exited to see the eggs hatch it is my first year of watching
April 16th, 2007 at 10:14 PM
I check with the birds several times a day but I can’t tell who is who until I see them together. Wish I knew when “Pa” is on the nest..Caye
April 17th, 2007 at 5:45 PM
if you can see their beaks, on mariah you will see a white stripe above her beak. On Kaver, it is solid grey.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:57 AM
Has anyone noticed the odd looking pale colored patches of feathers on either side of Mariah? I have been watching them both over the years and dont recall ever noticing this before.
May 11th, 2007 at 12:49 PM
What a wonderful education tool this is for young children. My granddaughter Katelyn who lives in Chicago and is not yet 3 years old really enjoys watching the your falcons on the computer. She has been waiting for the eggs to hatch and the next time in Rochester she wants to visit Kodak tower to see where the falcons live.
May 14th, 2007 at 6:11 PM
Formerly from Rochester now viewing from Orlando. Have been watching for 5 years. Good to watch each day for a few weeks.
April 27th, 2010 at 8:55 AM
[…] One of those was Freedom, Archer’s father. And back in 2007 one of Mariah’s eggs just disappeared during the night. So this isn’t the first time we’ve lost eggs here in Rochester, and […]