More great news and so happy she's settling down with one of our boys!!   

Woohoo..I spend some time at work actually doing work today and look what I miss!!  Great news!!

Looks like things are back on track, congratulations Beauty and Archer 

Red Tail?

OMG...just woke up and checked on Beauty and ...EGG!!! 

Good points, I think I've been watching too much TV..looking for conspiracy theories 

When it first happened, my thought was a shortage of tiercels as well.  However having seen Jack personally escort several tiercels out of the territory the past 2 years...I have to wonder if not's the 'territory' thing.  You know, the bigger the better...perhaps like some other male species...

Dumpster Kitty:  Something actually came to me last night since you mentioned Windwhistler ..actually at about 2 am in the morning after I saw some of your chat on the live cam about them all being Canadian. 

Windwhistler:  Born here at Etobicoke (Jack's current site) to Alberta - who although she was hatched in Alberta was fostered at the Hamilton nest and grew up there.

Jack: Born in Missauga..to Sal who coincidently was born at the Hamilton nest site to Madame X and a previous mate. 

Archer: Born in Port Colbourn - 12 miles from the Hamilton nest site.

Why does that bother me?  Maybe because Hamilton is/was a steel town, lots of industrial history   12 miles isn't far and easily if parents/offspring hunted in those areas, could they have been exposed to something that has affected their behaviour?  Chemicals perhaps in the environment/water?

What are the odds that three tiercels - are exhibiting rare behaviour and they all have a small radius in common in their backgrounds?  Maybe I'm grasping but it's bugging me....

I expect they can both see each other.  Falcons have exceptional eyesight and can see several km out and they are very aware of who is near their territory as their survival depends on it.  In our case here - I've been up on the roof and you can see Jack's other site from here so no doubt in my mind that Angel is aware of TR Mom and that Jack goes over there.  Also last year when Milton (TR mom's previous male) was released from rehab and came back..and got into it with Jack..both Angel and TR Mom came to his defence, each in their respective territories of course but it was like one fight with each female joining in as soon as it spilled over into their respective territory.  

I was stunned that TR Mom didn't welcome her old mate back, everyone told me she would - even several biologists based on on historic knowledge and yet she actually attacked Milton herself.  Now whether that was because of the timing - her and Jack's eggs were due to hatch in days and she was concerned with protecting her offspring is something that could definitely be a factor.  In the other cases, the previous mates were released prior to nesting season so that might definitely had alot to do with them accepting back a familiar mate.

In my conversations with one biologist - she told me that the females likely were only concerned with whether or not the tiercel provided for them and their offspring and defended the territory with them.  In other words, as long as he had their back - they wouldn't care about another female sharing him as long as they stayed in their respective territories since they bind to the nest site.  However she also told me that she was very surprised that they tolerated it simply due to their protective nature and said there just isn't enough documented information about these types of situations.

ps: Thanks for tolerating all my musings, although I'm not a fan of the bigamous tiercel thing, I am curious as I have really no other situation to compare it with.  I know you aren't 100% yet as to what is going on here but if it turns out to be - at least we will have 2 documented situations and we can compare notes.

Could also be some reproductive issues with one of the two.  Archer is a migrating bird, if he goes to South America - they still use DDT quite heavily in some areas down there...or he could have been down in the Gulf and been affected by the spill.  

 It's too bad you didn't have access to where the other female is...could identify if it's Archer that is there and see if she's having any luck with eggs or if the situation is similar.

Also can't help but wonder if it's not stress on Beauty's part, can't be easy to wait months for your mate to come home and have to potentially share him.  Since it's not a common situation, I can't help but wonder if that's because not all females will tolerate it so easily.  I really feel for Beauty, she's such a beautiful and strong falcon.  She expends alot of energy on her own all winter defending and holding the site, even though falcons are strong - it can't be easy.

Does anyone know where "Jack", the male PeFa at Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre, makes his second home?  There are several mentions in the nest notes of him going off to his other "wife" and nest, etc, but they never mention where it is.  Do they know?  Is that site also monitored?

Nancy in UT

Jack's second home is at a Private Residential nest site located in Etobicoke.  Because some of the residents are not 'keen' on having a pair of pefa's on their condo building - not to mention the people who would be there viewing with binoculars - we agree to keep the site location private at their request.  

Mathew, a falcon lover who resides at the building does update his own blog which you can find here:

http://www.asic.ca/peregrinefalcons/

Actually saying they aren't keen is an understatement - if you read through their past blogs, some people actually wished them dead..it's a sad situation.

I thought of Dori and Louie too..everyone said they wouldn't hatch but they did and pretty sure there was at least a 2 week interval between the time the eggs were laid and full time incubation started!  I remember watching Louie lay on those 2 eggs every night and then pushing them over to Dori's eggs..insisting they be incubated by her.  I don't think anyone who watched wasn't in tears when they all hatched.

Congratulations of the First Egg 

Poor girl.  It's the male that is infertile from what I've read, she has had successful hatches with her previous mate.  Wonder if this is the same guy?  I've not heard.

OH NO!!! What is going on there?

Jackdaws ate the eggs, someone got some screenshots of it over at another falcon board that I saw.  Not sure where the parents are but not a good sign if they got past them and ate their eggs.

She is truly phenomenal!     

What a wonderful surprise!