Quest has been spending so much of her time in a very small area of Prince Edward Point that it’s sometimes easy to think that her transmitter might have fallen off, or worse, that she’s met with an untimely end. Fortunately, every few days she wanders away from PEP and we get some good location data to put our minds at rest. So it has been this past week, when Quest made a day trip back to the Lennox Power station. After that she went right back to her new hunting ground though. Maybe she was just stretching her wings a little?

View Quest Travels January 2010 in a larger map

We weren’t surprised to find that Quest ended January at the Prince Edward Point Wildlife Refuge. The heavy concentration of data from her transmitter shows that she hasn’t visited the Lennox Power station since the beginning of the month, preferring to spend her time among the prey-rich wetlands to the southwest. Five of the last seven days place her at the Point, and the other two (purple and black icons on the map) look like they could just be day trips.

We’re still hoping that someone at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory will spy Quest and send us an eyewitness report, or even some pictures. But whether we hear anything from humans at the site or not, it’s pretty clear that Quest has found herself a nice place to stay for the winter.

The latest batch of locations from Quest’s transmitter leaves little doubt that she’s found a new dining spot. Some of the interday data points place her back at the Lennox power station but she has been consistently heading to the wildlife refuge at PEP for most of the month. It seems likely that the winter bird migrations which flow past the point are attracting her to what is sure to be a bountiful supply of prey. We’ve sent emails to the folks at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory and asked them to keep their eyes peeled for their special visitor!

The New Year’s cold snap hasn’t stopped Quest from bouncing around southern Ontario provice in Canada. We missed a couple of days’ worth of data just after the beginning of the year, but since then the information has returned to regular nightly updates. We’ve been fortunate to get quite a few readings that include data from the transmitter’s temperature sensor. These show that Quest is keeping pretty active and thus relatively warm despite bitter arctic temperatures and snow.

Locations over the past few days indicate that she may have found a perching spot just east of Route 13 near the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area. The Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory is close by, so it’s possible that Quest could be within view of some trained observers. The Point lies on one of the major Great Lakes bird migration routes, so it’s no surprise that Quest may have staked out a temporary hunting territory on the northern bluffs there.

Quest continues to spend most of her time in the vicinity of the Lennox Power Station. She has made a few side trips though. On the 18^th and 19^th she spent some time in what appears to be an agricultural area to the west of the powerplant. On the 22^nd and 25^th she headed southeast, actually crosssing the border on Christmas Day for a visit to Little Galloo Island. It is likely that she spent some of her time on the larger Galloo Island, home of the first lighthouse erected on Lake Ontario.

When Quest isn’t basking in the luxury of the Lennox Power station it appears she has a penchant for the shoals. Her recent locations have been centered on a spot over Lake Ontario, right on the border line between the US and Canada.

It turns out there’s an old lighthouse there. The East Charity Shoal light is closed to the public, a perfect spot for Quest. At just shy of 60 feet, its tower must provide an unparalleled view of the surrounding water for a Peregrine on the prowl. Doubtless it’s an ideal hunting perch.

Temperature data have been sparse for Quest recently, but a couple of readings from yesterday indicate that she got a taste of the cold blast that swept in off the lake yesterday. Still, the lowest temperature we recieved was 8.92°C, which is downright toasty compared to the below zero air temperatures recorded in the area. So it looks like Quest should be able to shrug off the winter weather like the seasoned falcon she’s become.

Click the map for a larger view

Just when we think Quest may have settled into a pattern she throws yet another specto subitus moment at us. With few exceptions, she’s been sticking close to the Lennox power station, no doubt content to feast on the plentiful prey in the surrounding wetland and on the Lake Ontario shore. But on the final day of November, she decided to wing her way up the St. Lawrence Seaway to the town of Ogdensburg, NY. You may recall that back in April we learned that Sabrina, from Mariah and Kaver’s 2006 brood, had taken residence in a nest box on the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge. Two strong signals on the morning of the 30^th place Quest within one mile (1.6 km) of the bridge. Could she have been paying a visit to her brother?

Did you catch that? Yep, we said brother. It’s not a typo. Courtesy of June Summers comes word that the folks monitoring the nest box on the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge witnessed mating between our Sabrina and the other resident female, with Sabrina in the male role. June attended a recent state-wide Audubon Society conference where she recieved the news. She also learned that Sabrina/Valiant and his mate produced one eyas this year which unfortunately did not survive. So our supposition that Sabrina is a male has been verified, and it looks like a name change is in order!

View Quest Travels November 2009 in a larger map

Quest remains locked in on the northeast end of Lake Ontario. Her newfound base of operations at the Lennox power station is obvious for its dual smokestacks, but now we hear that there is also a nest box installed at the facility. We have no way of knowing whether she’s using it, but it seems likely that Quest has at least given the box a look. There aren’t any cameras installed, but we’re hopeful someone may soon spot her at the plant.

Another attraction for Quest may be the 120-acre wetland on the plant’s grounds. The Lennox folks received the Wings Over Wetlands award from the Wildlife Habitat Council and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. in 2008. Read more about it in their newsletter. Thanks to Falconcam fan Chrissy for the link!

An active wetland full of migratory birds and waterfowl combined with tall smokestacks overlooking the lake sounds like a nearly perfect habitat for Quest. It’s no wonder she’s decided to stick around!

It certainly looks like Quest is settling in near Kingston, Ontario. With the exception of a quick visit to Olcott, New York on the 30^th of October, she’s been pretty consistent in her movements north of Lake Ontario. So it seems, for the most part, Quest will be a guest of our friends in Canada for the time being.

View Quest Travels October 2009 in a larger map with a legend

Over the past week or so it looks like Quest has found herself a new base of operations at the Lennox power plant. Most of her early morning positions place her near the dual-fuel energy producer. It’s location on the shore of Lake Ontario and its pair of tall smokestacks make it an ideal place from which to perch and hunt.