Back to Her Old Tricks?
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A look at the map might make it seem that way. The data shows Quest returning to some of her favorite haunts on the Cape, including Wellfleet Bay and Monomoy Island. But the timestamps tell a different story.
Quest usually takes her trips to Monomoy during the day, but our most recent data indicates that she has actually been spending her nights on the tidal flat. We didn’t receive any good data for the 3rd but the data for the 29th, 2nd and 4th places her there in the early morning and late evening. On at least one occasion we were fortunate to get consecutive good data passes at hourly intervals indicating that she is indeed spending the night on the northern end of Monomoy Island.
The data points are so closely spaced that it appears she’s found a particular area she likes. The satellite image doesn’t show any structures nearby, so it’s not clear where she’s staying, but something on the island seems to appeal to her.
-Jess
December 6th, 2008 at 4:10 PM
Thanks, Jess!
Low tide on December 2 came at about 10:18 PM. That would give her a long nap before her talons got wet. I wonder if there is a wreck, rock, or channel marker? Lots of mysteries here! As Cathy D says “You never can tell with a Peregrine Falcon!”
December 6th, 2008 at 4:19 PM
Mmmm, how interesting to learn she is staying in such a low place
for such long periods…..it would seem as though she feels “safe”
in the area she has chosen….
December 6th, 2008 at 11:30 PM
Jess, thank you so much for letting us know that. It is reassuring to know she is flurishing and doing well. Like you said, something is there that is keeping her. Keep warm Quest…
December 7th, 2008 at 12:08 AM
Too bad she didn’t have a web cam on her harness 😉
December 7th, 2008 at 5:04 PM
Yeah, we would like that, but she probably wouldn’t 🙂
December 10th, 2008 at 7:15 AM
I know the area where Quest is hanging out very well. My family has a summer home not 2 miles from there and I have spent my entire life summering there. The location, ‘northend of Monomoy’ could very possibly actually be Morris Island, a attached island at the southern most point of Chatham. This island is covered in pine trees and BIG summer houses. It is very secluded and probably empty at this time of year. She would be able to find a great night resting spot in these trees and be very close to her ‘favorite’ hunting grounds.
December 12th, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Thanks for the “inside” view. It does sound very promising the way you describe it, Marti.
December 12th, 2008 at 8:45 PM
@Marti- Morris Island is actually a bit to the north of Quest’s posted locations, though it would certainly be reasonable to assume that she is spending at least some of her time there. On a good day we may receive a dozen satellite tracks, of which about 25% are usually of good quality. Each track lasts only a few minutes so even though we get a lot of positional data, we only see a few moments of her day.