Quest Visiting Family at End of November?
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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 30th 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!
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 AM
WOW!!!!! This is great news and sad at the same time. Poor little eyas. There’s always Spring of 2010. Thanks for the info June. It’s great hearing about the legacy of MK. It goes on.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 AM
I wonder if Sabrina/Valiant is a larger than usual tercel as an adult? . . a supertercel?
As for Quest, looks like it was a visit. Dec 1 has her about 10 km east of Lennox. She probably misses playing hide and stoop with Lennoxman. 🙂
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:22 AM
Quest is smart, the cold weather and snow came and she is headed for greener pastures no doubt :). Can’t wait to see where she will spend the winter and hope she keeps safe.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:36 AM
Dan Stiehler, namer of Sabrina, is ecstatic to hear that “he” has found a mate and a nest site. Dan chose Valiant for his male name that year. We Watchers were almost sure that Sabrina was a male back in the Summer of 2006 due to his small size. He and Rhea Mae have certainly done well. Aura is the only one unaccounted for from that year. Hey, maybe she’ll show up someday. 🙂 I just love when we get good news about one of M&K’s offspring.
For those that were watching the Rochester Falconcam back in 2006, you’ll remember that Mariah was badly injured just before the eggs started hatching. Kaver became Super Dad that year, taking care of both Mariah and their three young eyases. All three fledged successfully, with just one mishap, when Rhea Mae’s first flight took her down the middle stack of the BeeBee Station. She made her way out the next day and joined her brother and sister. I have so many wonderful memories from the Summer of 2006.
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 AM
Sounds like the summer of 2006 was very exciting. It’s a shame Kaver isn’t around any more.
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:55 PM
Dear Maureen and fellow M&K fans,
Kaver might come back! Didn’t someone here once point out that a tiercel in California was missing for a season but then came around again for the season thereafter? Maybe Kaver is in the Caribbean somewhere taking a break from Mariah since she kept on laying more eggs than he could possibly fit himself over and also a break from being knocked off of his resting spot on the lilies by his young ones! 🙂
I am still laughing about “Sabrina” and the whole mishap over mistaking him for a female. But I guess look on the bright side… We didn’t name him Connie, Maria or Elizabth… (Then again, Sabrina is a pretty popular female name, too… LOL)
John Carlos
December 4th, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Sabrina is not the only eyas whose gender has been in doubt over the years. Sexing eyases is not a perfect science. But a name change apparently only occurs when there is proof positive that a mistake was made. I am thinking particularly of Isis here.