Quest Rides Warmer Temps Into March
Continuing her trend from the end of February, Quest has been spending her days moving between Prince Edward Point and southeastern Ontario. The early days of March provided clear weather with a lot of data points. The information from the transmitter’s temperature sensor shows that Quest is having no trouble keeping warm. And with the end of winter coming, it will be interesting to see whether she stays at PEPBO, moves back to Lennox, or strikes out in a new direction. She’s also fully adult now, so she ought to be looking for a mate as well. Sitting on a major migration route as she is, it seems likely that she’ll attract the attention of a Peregrine tiercel before too long.
March 7th, 2010 at 12:19 PM
I hope she picks Lennox Then we might get to see some pictures.
March 7th, 2010 at 2:45 PM
It’s surprising that the transmitter and harness have lasted so long. They certainly don’t seem to have had an appreciable effect on Quest’s ability to survive and presumably thrive. Historical odds do not generally favor backpack birds – she must be a peregrine with strength, skill and talent.
Does anyone have any insights on the predicted life span of the harness, how it might release upon failure, and if the assembly will be a deterrent in attracting a mate?
March 7th, 2010 at 8:16 PM
The assembly will be no problem at all for prospective mates. There was a pair observed on a university webcam where the female (I believe) wore a harness for more than one season. It should just drop off when it wears out and one may even be able to rescue the electronics. I have never seen a statistic on the historical survival of “backpack” birds. At the Rochester site the survival has been about average (which is low in any case).
Storks with transmitters wear them for years and years (Princess from Germany from 1994 to 2007) and mates fight for them and their teritories just as fiercely as for unharnessed birds. Princess died an old lady (about 16 – very old for a stork) in her winter quarters in Africa. Max, a female who nests in Switzerland, could be in the Guiness Book of Records since she has been followed with her transmitter since 1999, the year she hatched.
March 8th, 2010 at 8:49 AM
Wasn’t there a previous post that mentioned a nest box in the vicinty of the Lennox station, or do I have it confused with something else?
March 8th, 2010 at 9:23 AM
Hey Maureen, I believe I read something about a hack box/nest box at the Lennox station as well. 🙂 You’re not confused.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Yes, I remember that, too, and my dearest hope for Quest is that she will decide on a mate and the nestbox as well.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:50 AM
Thanks for confirming for me. Yes, wouldn’t that be awesome if that happened for Quest! Fingers crossed!! 😀
March 9th, 2010 at 6:29 PM
Thanks, Jim, for adding the icon showing where the Lennox nestbox is located. Quest does seem interested! . All we need now is a nice eligible tiercel.
Mike, Alison, I know of one tiercel, Sparrow King, fitted on Feb 2007 with a PTT who migrates from Chile to his nesting site on Baffin Island(s?) (near Greenland) each spring.
March 10th, 2010 at 6:53 PM
The Falcon Research Group has a whole bunch of followed falcons on their pages: http://www.frg.org/track_pefa4.htm , but only three appeared to be active this past season, Sparrow King, Sparky and Island Girl (who comes up with these names?).