Quest Tests the Waters
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As Quest continues her stay in the southeast corner of Cape Cod, she’s taking some trips out into the ocean. We’ve been fortunate to get some positional data in daylight hours over the past few days. Our experience to date has been that most of the usable satellite data come in the hours on either side of midnight, so having some daytime data is a nice treat. It allows us to see that Quest been doing some flying out over the ocean. She seems to be staying pretty close to the shore, so it’s likely that she is hunting either shore birds like terns and gulls, or possibly that she’s preying on other species migrating along the coast. Now that Autumn is in full swing here in the Northeaster United States, it will be interesting to see how long she stays in Massachusetts before heading for warmer climes.
-Jess
October 5th, 2008 at 7:15 PM
thanks for the update – always happy to read them!
October 5th, 2008 at 7:43 PM
Thanks!
Love she’s still at the Cape. Hope also some pic will come.
Go girl! 😀
October 5th, 2008 at 8:19 PM
She’s daring, that Quest. I’m also curious as to where she’ll end up for the Winter months. Maybe she’ll be like her momma and stay through the cold and snow. Be well Quest.
October 5th, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Most of the summer visitors have left the Cape. We year rounders have more road space now. Amazing that Quest is still here. Of course the numbers of birds flying through are still high, and that is probably the draw. Stay as long as you like Quest. The skies are wide open and you are more than welcome.
October 5th, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Is it typical that juveniles travel far in their first year (migrate for the winter)?
October 6th, 2008 at 3:31 PM
I think it is, Debbie. I’m not an ‘expert’, sorry! Anyway it happened they travel probably far and we find them in their second year near the nest they were born. Several PF in Italy behave this way.
As far as I know, see Onyx (born from SW&Buckeye in Cleveland, TT 2 years ago) nesting this year at Shaker: from his nest you can see the Terminal Tower! Also Rocky (born at Hilliard Rd Bridge, Cleveland) looks like to wish his home close to Cleveland. 🙂
October 6th, 2008 at 6:28 PM
Oh thats so great to hear..she is a doll. Thanks for the update, good to know she is well and thrieving.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:04 AM
Thank you for the update, Jess! So very good to hear, and see Quest is still having a good time on the Cape 😀 Kim in Italy… if I’m reading you right, do you mean that Quest might go back to Rochester in the Spring? I wondered if she would go back to the Cape since she seems to like it so much.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Maureen, I just mean it happens at times. I have never been in Rochester and don’t know whether there is space for 2 pairs.. M&K are determinated to defend their own territory as every pair is. Generally the juvies need two years to find a territory and a mate. Anyway Peregrines are peregrines ;-), they can go everywhere. So to follow Quest’s travels is a great adventure for us! 😀
I would like she will find her home at the Cape as well!
BTW, sorry for my English not exactly fluent..
October 7th, 2008 at 4:29 PM
Kim, I think there is enough territory for another breeding pair in Rochester. The cemetery near Highland Park a few miles south of Mariah is one that comes to mind. As for Cape Cod, I wonder if any of the lighthouses all along the cape would be tall enough for nesting?
And your English is very good! What’s the Italian word for peregrine falcon?
October 8th, 2008 at 5:53 AM
Thanks Rosamund. We say ‘falco pellegrino’ not a very different word.
I’m glad there is enough territory for another breeding pair in Rochester, far enough from Mariah’s, we all know how aggressive she can be, well, the Queen is the Queen!
Didn’t think of the lighthouses all along the Cape (have also a ‘souvenir’ of Nantucket Sankaty Head!), it could be a beautiful room for our beautiful Quest! 😀 But tall enough for PF’s?? Wondering it’s flat there, maybe they can keep the territory under control from a lighthouse..
October 8th, 2008 at 8:57 AM
Kim… I would have never known that English was not your first language! And yes, to follow Quest’s travels is a great adventure for us indeed!! 😀
October 8th, 2008 at 4:12 PM
@Debbie – We believe that most of Mariah’s offspring leave the Rochester area by the end of August. Whether they migrate is hard to tell. In addition to Quest, we’ve had transmitters on a few other falcons. Hafoc (2004) didn’t go farther than 50 miles (80km) from Rochester. He spent most of the winter a little north and east of the Kodak Tower in the town of Greece. He was killed in late winter 2005 (most likely struck by a car) only a few miles from downtown.
Skye (2005) headed west and north, ending up in western Ontario, Canada after leaving Rochester. She was unfortunately killed in September of that year, most likely by a ground predator like a fox or wolf, or possibly by a Great Horned Owl.
Sabrina (2006) appeared to stay in Rochester through much of the winter, even being spotted on the Kodak tower in early 2007. That winter, Mariah left the area in November and didn’t return until late February. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Of the others we know about (Quest, Rhea Mae, Ihteram, Ranger, Freedom), it’s impossible to say how far they migrated, or whether they just traveled to their eventual destinations and stayed there. As Kim mentioned, it’s possible that they might migrate quite a long distance for the winter, then return to an area near where they were hatched. Or they might not go very far at all. We just don’t have enough data to make a good guess. That’s one of the things we’re hoping to learn from Quest.
October 8th, 2008 at 8:27 PM
Thanks for the insight, Jess. I guess we’ll all just have to play the ‘wait and see’ game! 🙂
October 9th, 2008 at 7:20 PM
A big thank you, Jess!
Just want recall also Linn was seen possibly nesting in Scarborough, Ontario Canada. Mariah’s (and Kaver’s 🙂 ) offspring look like to be the ones we know the most about. We would like to have good news of them all..
I miss Sabrina, that little diva! 😀
Was so happy to see Ihteram, my fav of 2005, safe and sound in Detroit, Michigan!
All are our guys, we prey they can make it, we know how hard it is, so here we are to play, as Maureen says ;), the ‘wait and see’ game following the Quest with love and hope.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Just heard the news. The nestbox has been set out on the Powers building!
Will there be a virtual housewarming?
October 10th, 2008 at 7:34 PM
😀 😀
Thank you for the news, Rosamund! Was thinking of and waiting for that.
I remember you asked whether Mariah could have a good view of the territory from the new position to chase intruders. Is it so on the Powers building?
October 11th, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Some peregrines really go south for the winter. I remember one hanging out in the Carribean and there being some excitement as the locals wanted to get rid of it as a threat to their birds and only quick intervention from some conservationists saved it (him) – it was in papers – but this happened several years ago. They think the legendary Zenith of Cleveland migrated far south, she always came back so late to claim her ledge at the Terminal Tower.
October 11th, 2008 at 2:14 PM
Kim-I’m sure better pictures will be posted, but this is one I took from RFalconcam HQ
http://tinyurl.com/53bsou
The Powers building is the pale building right in the center with the flagpole, so there’s a good view of the Kodak building and the whole territory. Other watcher landmarks are the communications towers on the right and the old Changing Scenes building is the sunlit one on the left. I’m pretty sure the Times Square building is the one with the “wings” just to the right of the Powers building.
October 12th, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Thank you, Ei! Welcome good info. 😀
May I post your post and pic on the Cleveland message board? 🙂 As you probably know the Rochester there is very active.
Maybe also Kaver goes south for his usual vacation, but never came back so late as Zenith always used until she was too late and met her fate at the TT.
October 12th, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Ei, *you are* on that forum! Sorry, shame on me! 😉
Please, post on the Rochester thread what you told before!
October 12th, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Yes, the Times Square building has the wings. These are all literally earshot from each other and the proximity and closeness are much clearer when you stand near one of them. They look much farther in the photo from each other. I work at the county office building, which standing on the corner are 3 of 4 of these buildings, all within a block or two from each other, and clearly visible from all angles.
October 12th, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Here is the link to the article from the local paper about the relocation:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810110339
October 12th, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Here also is a google link – look at the “street view” and you can actually stand right in front of the building, literally and look around 🙂
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=powers%20building%2C%20rochester%2C%20ny&um=1&sa=N&tab=il
October 13th, 2008 at 5:01 PM
“The falcons roost all over downtown Rochester and use the nesting box after Mariah has laid her eggs each year”
They use the nesting box AFTER Mariah has laid her eggs??? Now here I was thinking all these years that Mariah used the nestbox as the place to lay her eggs :->
October 14th, 2008 at 5:58 AM
LOL! I bet you are thinking right, Alison!
How many scrapes did keep Kaver busy in the nestbox BEFORE Mariah choosed the one to lay her eggs?! 😀