Rfalconcam Forum

Saw this on the CPF site just now for ADM Mill Port Colborne (Freedom's old nest box)-emphasis added-

Deja Vu
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Doug Garbutt Reports:
I last reported we had 4 eggs here. The eggs have somehow disappeared. Just like last year! 3 falcons were on site at the time the eggs were being incubated. Not sure if this is the reason. We now have a new monitor & will be able to see what’s happening in the box again. Today 2 falcons were in the box. One of them had a radio transmitter on it.

Doug Garbutt Reports:
Sorry, forgot to put location on last message. Message was from Port Colborne ADM Mill.

Posted on April 19, 2010 8:45 pm
Observation for Port Colborne - ADM Mill

 :scaredblue: :o

 :secret:  Quest!  Go back to Lennox Power - they are waiting for you! :secret2:

Oh my god, I just saw that on CPF and thought Quest, is that you!!!  :o  This is such a competitive site, every year it seems, a new female seems to take out the old one...this is not the site I'd want for Quest.

As of two days ago (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=106275827020949145732.00046b11e82e9c6ab8264&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=44.134913,-77.058105&spn=2.365463,4.943848&z=7&source=embed), Quest was about 17 miles (30 km) from Port Colborne. 

Has she just staged a nest site takeover?

Paul

We're in the process of checking where Quest was yesterday.  It may not be until later today.

We know that she has been in that area before.

I'm so happy that Doug, at Port Colborne, now has a new monitor and will be able to keep a close eye on what's happening in the nest box.

When Lisa, Kathy, Dana and I visited this site (when Freedom was there), Doug and Rolf took us up to the break room where the monitor is.  The workers are avid Falcon Watchers.   :clap:

For those not familiar with the Port Colborne nestsite, that was where Freedom, M&K's first son, was located until a couple years ago.  Freedom's whereabouts are unknown at this time.  Archer, our current male, was born at this site.

Paul-can you check the monthly map?  (Work 'puter is being evil)  looks like there's an update for 04-19...

Seems to run in the family, the attraction to this nest site.  On the plus side, she's Mariah's daughter so she's no slouch that's for sure.

Or anyone...sorry...just that Paul was in map mode...

The weekly map has her 17 miles west of Port Colborne on the 18th; the monthly (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=105232220446351695936.00048386cb8a0391f1c64) has her at the same spot on the 19th.  As Carol just told us, they seem to be in the process of updating the maps.

Paul

The times and dates on the monthly map are in GMT. So that April 19th point is really April 18th at 9:25 PM.

There probably won't be any data for April 19 (yesterday). Tonight's data will be for today.

Didn't realize that...thanks!  Any really poor signals that you really can't rely on but might give us a hint?  I know I'm asking for too much, but...well, can't blame me for trying ;)   

No, that was the last data point received.

I guess it goes without saying that someone is trying to get in touch with Doug and Rolf?

Yes, I'm in contact with Doug.  He sent me an email about it late last night and said he's keeping a close eye on the situation.  He'll let us know if he see's Quest again.  I asked him to get a picture if he could.   ;)

So glad they have a monitor.  I wonder what happened to the eggs.

And if Quest was with another falcon, maybe it is a male.

How many Peregrines with transmitters are out there?

Unfortunately this is one of those times when we had a significant gap in data transmissions, and the data we did get isn't of the greatest quality.

Basically the data dump we received on the 19th covers the period from 5PM to 9:25PM (local time) on 18 April.  

The data dump we received on the 20th covers the period from about 10PM on 19 April to 7AM on 20 April.  

So we didn't get any data for most of the day on the 19th, including the period when Quest might have been at Port Colborne.  The best transmitter evidence we have for her being there is the final transmission from the 18th, which is posted on Quest's weekly and monthly maps, and shows her just to the west of Port Colborne.

The data for the 20th that we received places Quest in the vicinity of Alexandria Bay, a couple hundred miles away from Port Colborne.  The earliest and latest data points from the 20th are in agreement, and though we had a lot of very poor-quality transmissions in the data, they're all consistent in placing Quest in this area.  So if she was at the Port Colborne site, we can't rely on the satellite data to confirm it.

Nevertheless, I'm inclined to think she probably did visit the ADM nest box.  It was pretty much on her flight path east from her location late on the 18th, and I don't think there are that many falcons equipped with transmitters out there (though I don't know specific numbers).  The trip back to Alexandria Bay would only take her about 4 hours, and she's shown a great affinity for not settling down, so maybe she was just checking things out.  We just don't have much observational data from which we can draw any firm conclusions.  

Maybe Doug can get us some more information.  I'd be interested to know the time of day that the falcon was spotted, how long it stayed, and if anyone took a picture (even a picture of the monitor screen would be welcome) or saw a leg band.

So we wait.  But!!  Quest is ok.

It just seems to be our luck that every time she's maybe spotted for sure (since her Cape Cod region excursions)...the guys at Lennox didn't want to disturb Lennox man...our watchers got there a day late...excellent signals from her transmitter-except for the day we're pretty sure someone actually saw her...  AARRGH!!!

And, yes, the most important thing is that Quest is OK.

AND!!  Quest is certainly leading us on a quest - perfect name for the "questing" falcon  :2thumbsup:

Maybe we should change her name to settle down already  :laugh:

LOL!  BirdCrazy, we could name rename her as "Kizzy" which means "stay put" in the Mandinka language according to Kunta Kinte (in "Roots") or we could name her Fica (which means "stay" in Portuguese).  Any other name suggestions to make Quest pick a place and mate and settle down, anyone?

As someone once mentioned, she wears an invisible cloak.  Just as we think we can pinpoint her, there she goes being " the elusive falcon" again!  If we could stand hand-to-hand encircling Lake Ontario, we still wouldn't see that wandering peregrine with a transmiter.

  I believe she inherited the invisibility trait from her father. Famous for his stealth mode.

Wait a minute...  So quest was likely at the Port Colborn nest site, and it is possible that she displaced the female there and then flew off again???

maybe she only wanted the tiercel, maybe she's looking for  :wub:

There's been problems at that site.  Two years in a row, eggs were laid and then disappeared.  No one saw what happened.  I don't know if the female there was displaced particularly by Quest.  She might have just been there to be there