[Hard incubation continues! Its getting close!]

Just posted to CPF!!

Hard incubation continues! Its getting close!
May 23, 2011 - Toronto - Don Mills
Mark Nash Reports:

We have just received updated news from Bruce that both Quest and Kendal are still hard at work with incubation activities at the Don Mills nest site. Despite the fact that they are incubating only one egg, they are never the less still very much committed. Its getting close to a hatch date if the pair have been successful and we are all watching them very closely.

Based on the start of their full time incubation activities, it is expected that if all has gone well, we should expect to see a hatch at the end of this week. As such, monitoring will be stepped up in the following days as the week progresses.

We must remember that Quest and Kendal are a new pair, still inexperienced, and this nesting thing is very new to them as first timers. There have been some challenges and bumps along the way, in addition to MANY factors that can cause a failed nest site. We have already seen lower success rates at many of the other southern Ontario nest sites this year, (and from experienced proven productive pairs) that have many addled / unhatched eggs in the nests this season.
All of our fingers are crossed!!
Stay tuned………….

[Linn is a mother!!!]

Linn is a mother!!!  

!!! We have a Hatch - May 18th!
May 21, 2011 - Scarborough - Yellow Pages
Mark Nash Reports:
May 20th 2011

Great news indeed! A huge thank you to the Yellow Pages security and their of their support, we were able to confirm a hatch today. Today offered the first sunny day after more than a week of blustery winds and rain, we were finally able todo another site visit to check on the Yellow Pages birds. We are very excited to report that todays observations yeilded a confirmation of a hatch! Given the visual we were able to get of the hatchling, it is believed that the young hatchling is approx. three days old. While the resident adult female was not giving much up as she stay firmly planted to the nest bowl, we did get a peek of at least one new born hatchling. The resident male was on hand to show his support to his mate, although the pair were very quiet throughout our visit. We believe that the young hatchling was hatched on Wednesday May 18th given its size.. We were unable to see any unhatch eggs or other young during this visit, but it is believed that their could be more young that have hatched.

Stay tuned…..(Mark is posting photos to CPF right now.)

Maybe Beauty is smarter than we think and knows that's how to keep Archer at home 

Good grief, glad they have both been seen.  Maybe they don't like sharing Archer and both feel threatened by the situation.  Not all falcons may accept this type of situation I guess - not for human type reasons but reasons of caring for offspring and territory.

So very sorry to read of your loss kitty, thoughts and prayers with you and your family this morning.

Here is DEF's reply to the question on who the parents are:

"It is believed that the female is still the same as in previous years but there is some doubt about the male. Unfortunately the web cam images are not good enough to ID them.

No surveillance on the ground either. And it is very difficult to get to the nest box. 31 narrow stairwells to climb. Jan van Dijk, member of the Dutch PeFa workgroup, however, is looking forward to make that journey in a couple of weeks  He is also very happy that this nest finally has chicks again. "

I just put the Dutch falcon forum through google translate and from what I got back - they are saying it's the same pair although everyone is also wondering how this happened.  DEF said three babies but some are saying two..and then three towards the end.  Either way we've got chicks!!

ps: do remember some chat on BCAW with DEF (she's from NL and the forum there is hers) several months ago about the possibility of a new male here, someone has just asked so I'll let you know what the reply is.

Three of them!!! 

http://www.perigrines.nl/forumtest/viewtopic.php?t=327&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=625

Another half egg shell just appeared 

What a handsome couple  

I'm almost scared to celebrate..I sure everything goes well here after all she has been through the past three years. 

Second eggshell just appeared!!!  OMG!~!

Okay...don't want to jinx this..but DEF just posted a link on BCAW to this site - scroll down for Dorine's video from a little while ago.

Mom is fidgeting, flipping back and forth and suddenly an eggshell appears!  Could it be??

http://www.perigrines.nl/forumtest/viewtopic.php?p=128021

Tell me what you think? Two years I watched this cam and this poor girl so until daylight it's hard to confirm.

You would also think that 'by law' they should be required to record the band numbers - isn't part of the reason we band them so we can identify them?  I can't believe they would do that, wonder how many other pairs have been separated like that.

I pray she is safe and well.

OMG Just came over to post this too!! 

We didn't get around to posting this, but we found out that they had been trapping and relocating raptors at the airport in an effort to prevent airplane/bird strikes. No way of knowing, but it could even explain how Seneca disappeared at such an odd time.