Problems at Port Colborne nest site...?

[JohnCarlos1980]

***This is a modified version of what I wrote under the forum "Where was Quest yesterday?" but I thought this deserved its own topic because it isn't about Quest.  It is about the nest site which was once under the control of Freedom, son of Mariah and Kaver from 2002.*** [Duplicate post removed from Quest topic.]

Jeanne told me that eggs were laid the last two years in a row at the Port Colborne site and then suddenly disappeared both years with no explanation.  I'm beginning to suspect some foul play here...     Does anyone know if there is a black market for the eggs of Peregrine Falcons by less-than-respectable falconers to incubate and raise them from hatch?  Is there a cam or video surveillance of any kind in that nestbox?  From the description of a visit to that site when Freedom was in control of that territory, it doesn't seem like the nestbox is in a hard spot for the average worker there to visit...

I'm not saying someone at that plant definitely is stealing eggs.  I know that group has been very dedicated to the falcons, especially when one of them jumped into the river to save one the fledglings who had a bad first flight.  I just can't help but think that one of the workers might be involved in some scheme and the others would never suspect him/her of it.

Just throwin' out a possibility that might warrant additional security for the "protected" species...  There seems to be a screwball in every group...  I, for one, would be happy to contribute anything I can to the installation of a security camera at the site...

[Aafke]

I have no idea what happened but it made me think of something

I can remember from years ago that we talked about  fake eggs. Someone found a site where you could order fake eggs (and they were real expensive) from a lot of different kind of birds. We were talking about who would buy a fake egg. The person from the fake egg site discovered that we used his site and he sent us a post, this is what he wrote, as far as I can remember :
There are a lot of people who are collecting real eggs, my fake eggs looks so real that these egg collectors are the persons who order eggs on my site from birds they don't have.

And one other point: there are birds who like to steal eggs from other birds, it's easy to fly in an empty  nestbox and steal an egg.
Do you remember that we had a disappeared egg 2 or 3 years ago? We had camera's but we didn't found what happened with that egg
greetings Aafke

[JohnCarlos1980]

Dear Aafke,

I know what you mean about our cameras not being able to find out what happened two or three years ago when an egg disappeared.  See, what I'm suggesting is a real SECURITY camera, one that records videos so that if an egg goes missing, there is video proof that shows what happened.  Our cameras simply take pictures on timed intervals.

I'm certain that a security surveillance camera set-up is cheaper than an online live stream camera, isn't it?  If my memory serves me right, this particular nestbox was designed with a sliding door feature which, when raised from the INSIDE, the door closes the nestbox from the outside to stop the parents from attacking while the young are taken for banding.  So it would make sense to install a security camera inside of the structure where the door is raised to access the eyases (or eggs if they are being stolen by someone).

While we're at it, why not install another one outside of the nestbox, too?  I'm not sure of the construction upon which this nestbox is situated, but if there is a chance that the eggs could be accessed from the outside as well, there should be a camera aimed at the opening of the box from there as well.

Yours truly,
John Carlos

[jeanne]

I think the site now has a monitor so folks can watch.  I don't know what is going on but perhaps there are some territorial battles causing this?? 

I went back to copy and paste from this year and last:



These are pertinent postings from 2010

 So far, so good
April 06, 2010 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:

Our resident birds are very ellusive this year as they don’t show up much on the side of our bulding where you can see them. They stay alot on the canal side which we don’t really have access to. The good news is that our management has agreed to replace our monitor. We are hoping to have it before we have a hatch,( if we are indeed lucky enough to have a hatch) this year. We do think the birds are taking good care of their 4 eggs to this point. If you recall, last year we had 4 eggs, only to have them destroyed by either an intruder or the rattled pair of residents here. As soon as our monitor is installed, I will bring regular updates to this site.

!! Deja Vu - The 4 eggs are gone!
April 16, 2010 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
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.



Here is the posting from 2009 from the Port Colbourne site:

 !! Big Problems Here!!!
April 28, 2009 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:

On April 25th a falcon was spotted chasing another falcon forcing it to within 6′ of the water. I think there are 3 falcons here & a dispute is in progress. When I returned to work on Monday 27th , the clutch of 4 eggs was reduced to 2! To add to that, after about 3 weeks of hard incubation (we barely had a chance to view any eggs during this time), the birds were off the eggs most of the day even although it was a warm 70 degrees. Today was the same thing, the birds were hardly on the eggs all day but the temp. was a cool 55 degrees. It was also obvious that the birds seemed a bit on edge. I’m not sure what this means for the chance of these eggs being viable but we’re still hoping.

This clutch is toast
April 29, 2009 - Port Colborne - ADM Mill
Doug Garbutt Reports:

Today it is confirmed that there are 3 falcons here. They were all seen at the same time by Rolf. And if we were wondering if the remaining 2 eggs will be able to hatch, we are wondering no more as the birds were not on them all day or in the morning when I arrived at work at 6:00 am. I think our only hope to have young ones this year is if they have another clutch. We are also wondering if it is possible that the 3rd falcon could be Freedom. It is very difficult to get a good look at bands here in this situation as the falcons are guarding the nest box at all times and this is our best spot to view them. The intruding falcon is not able to get close enough for us to view his or her bands (providing it has any). Don’t worry though, it’s just a matter of time before we get that information.

[Donna]

Jeez...I think now there is an over abundance of falcons and they have no where to go. I wonder if the transmitter falcon was Quest? Lots of drama this year with 3 falcons. YIKES. Thanks jeanne.

[jeanne]

I don't know, Donna, but there are lots of falcons in Toronto and, though there are battles, it doesn't seem to be like this. Wish also that we knew where Freedom is.

[Joyce]

Hi John Carlos,

I am wondering if the eggs were taken by a predator other than human.  Perhaps something that resides in that area?  I asked myself...what would cause a peregrine to leave it's nest and the eggs?  What animals eat bird eggs? What could get up to that height?  Several animals have been known to eat eggs including fox, raccoon, feral cats, rats, snakes, crows, and owls. 

I don't know if the nest location is accessible to 4-legged animals, but certainly to a night hunter like the Great Horned Owl.  This could also account for the eggs disappearing the year before.  Although I couldn't find much on this topic, during the spring breeding season, Snowy Owls are known to eat eggs of waterfowl like Swans. 

Just a thought.
Joyce

[JohnCarlos1980]

Dear Joyce,

Oh!  I am not disputing that perhaps a natural predator is taking the eggs or that they are simply destroyed in the wake up a territory battle.  I have been reading on how some birds are known to steal eggs.  Last summer, I had the privilege of learning from one of the Rochester falconwatchers that one specific breed lays their eggs in the nest of other species!  That is just hilarious!

Unfortunately, if we are losing eggs in the natural order of life, that is very sad but at least I can live with that.  I'm sure we both agree, though, that if someone is doing something underhanded and stealing those eggs, that it is not natural and should be stopped at once if we can help it.  I don't see how installing a security surveillance camera can hurt.  If it doesn't catch someone in the act, at least the camera would hopefully dissuade a potential (human) thief from doing it again, right?  If our goal is the full restoration nature's greatest flyer, why not?

Yours truly,
John Carlos