You'd think this would be easy to answer ...
Is this worrisome for Princess and Ivy?
Doesn't appear to be and hasn't appeared to be with other Radisson pairs when it has happened twice in the past. The Radisson is the dominant site, so it appears, whoever holds it, is the dominant pair in the City. From what we have seen, the resident birds force out the interlopers - Princess pushed Sandy out but Sandy was actually at the Radisson. Where Cowboy and Kate are is in the territory but not as close as pairs have tried before. And from what we have seen of Cowboy's and Kate's behaviour, they appear to understand that they are perhaps too close. Princess and Ivy have four eggs and appear to be incubating solidly and without agitation and there is no way they don't know Cowboy and Kate are at HSC. So am I worried about Princess and Ivy, not at this point, they are solidly in command of the Radisson and Cowboy and Kate look to be too occupied with their own activities at other sites. But of course, we'll watch over them all.
Also, are there more peregrines then usual and is that a good sign for their survival?
'Fraid not for me. An exciting possible sign that once we the S Winnipeg site back in operation perhaps we will have birds around to take advantage of it though, which is an optimistic sign (to me at least). Here are some of my questions about the longevity of Cowboy and Kate in Winnipeg:
- We had two pairs in the City in the early 1990s and they were solid. Then the Radisson male disappeared and the remaining male ditched the wife and moved downtown (sound familiar?).
- When we have had second downtown pairs they only lasted a year each, possibly because it was just too stressful to be so close to the Radisson pair and raise young.
- Beau and Jules are new at this still and while we would love to think they will be as successful as last year, this is Jules' fourth year here so her track record isn't that stellar. And if she hadn't found Beau, she could have gone off to where there were more men to choose from or where a new man led her.
- We have also seen some unusual activity among all our pairs - they have all been sharing a hunting location without any apparently out-right hostility but that may have to do with a long cool spring and lots of water, there just isn't lots of waterfowl/waterbirds back yet (or so it appears).
- Cowboy is 11 years old and Kate is 6, they are both well into breeding age and no one has seen these birds for years - Kate since she fledged, Cowboy since he was 2. Perhaps they have been breeding elsewhere and couldn't go back or felt they couldn't go forward without more food available and have decided to take their chances here in the City where pigeons are always present (and most present downtown)
When we have had pairs move into new territories and last, they come back younger and stay ... T-Rex came back the year after hatching and was rock-solid and usually the first bird home each year; Trey was in town for two years before he took over the Radisson; Ivy was in WW then the Radisson; 9/3 and Sherpa were males-in-waiting who would have easily taken up with any available females in the years they were here. Burnsie hung around even after T-Rex left her as did Jules post-Ivy and even Madame didn't leave after she was pushed out by Princess. Those birds taking up residence would make me wonder if we would have a solid 2nd/3rd pair. This may just be a sabbatical year for Cowboy and Kate, we will just have to see what happens since we just don't know for sure why they decided to take their chances this year so close to the Radisson.
