Any word on Quest today? Nestbox? Egg #2

[MAKfalcon (MAK):]

MAKfalcon (MAK): Linda and I saw A leaving OCSR headed east.we r in Hot pursuit!

Link:
http://twitter.com/MAKfalcon/statuses/61079198277697537

Yup, just when he left the nest for his 10 minute sit!

Main cam been out since 7:49am

http://www.looduskalender.ee/en/node/8999 Great sounds, great cam

They have a Raven cam also....see left side for cams

 Urmas and Joosep from the Kotkaklubi (Eagle Club)  installed the web camera at the black stork nest on April 5. This nest has been virtually watchable since 2007. In 2007 Tooni and Donna nested here, in 2008 Padis and Donna; in 2009 and 2010 only Padis was at the nest and in the second half of the summer of 2010 lesser spotted eagles instead took over the nest. In 2011 Padis was the first to reach the nest, on April 18

Beauty left for a sec.

http://vimeo.com/9164809 How awful, this makes me ill!

[Peregrine falcons are monogamous, but there are a few documented accounts where males provided food to females at two eyries simultaneously (Nelson, 1990).]

Nah, I knew he'd show up sometime Ei. Now he has double -duty probably. Let's see how this all goes down.

Maybe this two female thing isn't working out so well for the little man.  Good thing Beauty's a strong Peregrine-looks like she's going to need that strength to get through this nesting season with a part-timer.  

I see no evidence that it isn't working so far. Yes she has a longer sit with the eggs but when he does come he stays longer and gives her more of a break. Time will tell. We don't like it because we are monogamous. The real test is when we have a hatch. But he is a good hunter and there is lots of prey so everything should work out.

Peregrine falcons are monogamous, but there are a few documented accounts where males provided food to females at two eyries simultaneously (Nelson, 1990).   Found this on the USGS site.

Peregrine Falcons are mostly monogamous, and often remain with their breeding partner throughout the non-breeding season. Oracle Thinkquest

I'm looking for info on this but nothing really documented on this topic.

Nah, I knew he'd show up sometime Ei. Now he has double -duty probably. Let's see how this all goes down.

Maybe this two female thing isn't working out so well for the little man.  Good thing Beauty's a strong Peregrine-looks like she's going to need that strength to get through this nesting season with a part-timer.  

I see no evidence that it isn't working so far. Yes she has a longer sit with the eggs but when he does come he stays longer and gives her more of a break. Time will tell. We don't like it because we are monogamous. The real test is when we have a hatch. But he is a good hunter and there is lots of prey so everything should work out.

I think he can handle both but I'm sure by September, he'll be ready for a long vacation! Since we only know of a few instances where this has happened, (mainly because of web cams), who knows, this may be a normal thing and it's happening more than we think.

A duck at an RSPB reserve in Renfrewshire astounded staff and visitors when she turned up with a brood of 27 ducklings in tow.

The mallard has been spotted at the Lochwinnoch reserve's feeding station.

As the usual brood size is 10-14, it is thought another duck may have laid its eggs in her nest.

Manager Zul Bhatia said: "Normally, the female would reject any ducklings that weren't her own, but this one has seemingly decided to raise all 27."

He added: "This is no small task by any means.

"To see 27 ducklings was a bit surprising."

However, it seems that the duck has already lost a few ducklings to predators, as at the last count she only had 24. 

Lochwinnoch nature reserve is one of the last remaining wetlands in the west of Scotland.

[X-rays and further analysis conducted at Hartwood Animal Hospital on April 1 revealed the eagle had not died at the hands of a poacher, but in the talons of another raptor.]

QUANTICO, Va. - The remains of a bald eagle were discovered March 21 by Marines training on Quantico Marine Corps Base  Range 3.

Personnel from Weapons Training Battalion contacted range control, the provost marshal office and Quantico conservation law enforcement to find out how the bald eagle was killed.
“It was an immediate response,� said Dan Hensley, one of Quantico’s conservation law enforcement investigators. “Whenever we have a protected animal that’s been injured or killed, we need to get on scene as quickly as possible to find out what the situation is.�
Though no longer on the endangered species act, it has been illegal to kill, disturb or possess parts of bald eagle since the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web page. The only exception to this stringently-enforced rule are authorized Native Americans who may obtain feathers from the USFWS National Eagle Repository at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colo. A first-time offense is punishable with fines up to $100,000 and a year imprisonment, according to the USFWS Web page.
The deceased raptor on Range 3 is one of only three bald eagles ever found dead aboard Quantico. The previous two eagle deaths were caused by auto and aircraft collisions, according to Hensley.
This eagle had suffered two puncture wounds, leading officials to initially believe they might have criminal case of someone shooting a protected animal. Quantico conservation investigators coordinated with the USFWS to take the appropriate actions, but first, a comprehensive necropsy was required to determine the cause of death.
“We found the Hartwood Animal Hospital and the people there were incredible,� said Hensley. “Anything that is done on wildlife is done free of charge. They showed incredible professionalism in what they do.�
X-rays and further analysis conducted at Hartwood Animal Hospital on April 1 revealed the eagle had not died at the hands of a poacher, but in the talons of another raptor. The bald eagle had fallen in combat against what was most likely another bald eagle, said Hensley.
While few would find the death of any bald eagle as a cause to celebrate, the Range 3 eagle’s fighting death is representative of a conservation success story: the increase of bald eagle populations aboard Quantico and across Virginia.
Hensley surmised that the inland location of the deceased eagle suggested enough birds exist aboard Quantico to cause them to fight for territory.
Bald eagle populations in Virginia have soared from a low point of 77 breeding pairs in the early 1970s to more than 700 pairs, according to Dr. Bryan Watts, director at the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. If one includes eagle populations residing in the greater Chesapeake Bay area, the number is estimated to be above 1,500 breeding pairs, said Watts.
“What we are seeing now is that the [bald eagle] population is reaching saturation,� said Watts. “Pairs have filled up the nesting habitat. When this happens birds that are reaching breeding age have nowhere to settle and breed. These young birds begin to fight with territory holders to gain breeding areas.
“We have not seen many combat deaths in recent decades but we are on the cusp of all that changing,� said Watts. “These kinds of combats are a behavioral mechanism to reduce population growth and fit the population to the available landscape. In the past couple of years, there has been an increase in downed birds brought into rehabilitation facilities from wounds and also mortalities.�
Most bald eagle experts, including Watts, attribute much of the increase in bald eagle populations to the banning of DDT pesticide in 1972. But other actions taken by conservation officials also had a positive effect on eagle populations.
“Mainly, we keep track of populations on base,� said Tim Stamps, biologist at Quantico’s Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs branch. “Years ago, we put restricted area signs and gates around nest protection zones. Since the eagle has been delisted from the endangered species list, the legal requirements [to protect] bald eagles are not as stringent.�
The bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list in 2007 due to the increase in their population, according to a statement on the USFWS Web page. But that doesn’t mean the fight to preserve America’s national symbol is over.
The USFWS will continue to monitor bald eagle populations every five years for the next two decades to ensure the bald eagle recovery stays on track, according to their Web page. With nearly 100 square miles of territory in the midst of the densely-populated northern Virginia region, MCB Quantico has an important role to play in the bald eagle recovery.
“We have compared productivity between [bald eagle] pairs that nest on protected lands like [Department of Defense, FWS and National Park Service properties around the Chesapeake Bay], with pairs on private land and [the former] are significantly more productive,� said Watts. ““Properties like Quantico have been critical for the recovery and will be even more critical in the long term to sustain the recovery.�

 
Eagle talons

He really is a handsome fellow!

Absolutely, he is cute. Hard to stay mad at him.

Nah, I knew he'd show up sometime Ei. Now he has double -duty probably. Let's see how this all goes down.

How cute they are, love the yawning owlet. #4 does look pretty bad but thankfully it was a wing and not the ants eating at him. I love when people go out of their way to save an "anything" in need. Way to go Chris. I think I'll send him a postcard! 

Thanks dale.

Poor Beauty. Archer hasn't been seen since 3 pm yesterday. 

[NOTE: Discussion posts on Quest have been split and merged under Rochester Falcon Offspring.]

NOTE: Discussion posts on Quest have been split and merged under Rochester Falcon Offspring.

• Posts under "Quest in same spot for 5 days" were split and renamed "Quest and Kendal - Toronto/Don Mills"
• Satelitte Tracking topic "Quest in same spot for 5 days" is locked.
• Topic "Quest's new CPF page" has been merged with "Quest and Kendal - Toronto/Don Mills"

Thank you Joyce, much easier now!