Manitoba Peregrines > McKenzie Seeds Peregrines
McKenzie Seeds - 2009 / Zeus & Hurricane
The Peregrine Chick:
--- Quote from: Rose on August 06, 2009, 08:38 ---Thank you TPC . But what's a hack site?
--- End quote ---
It probably helps to give you a bit of information on hacking so that you understand what hacking is all about ....
In the beginning of the recovery projects, we didn't have nesting pairs rather we were releasing captive-bred chicks from secure locations across the country - hack sites. We would get the chicks at about 40 days of age, they would go into a hack box (think playpen with a roof) and we would anonymously feed the chicks for about a week. After 7-10 days, we would take the bars off the box and since by this time the chicks (both/all genders) were older than fledge age, most shot out of the box and immediately fledged. By keeping the chicks in the hack box for such a relatively long time it imprinted the location on the chicks and let them become use to a larger world than they were familiar with coming from a breeding facility. As a result, we could continue to anonymously (that's another story) feed the chicks and to keep an eye on them as they tended to return to the building where the hackbox was located in the same way that the Radisson chicks return to the Hotel in the first couple of weeks after fledging. The hacked birds developed the same way their wild cousins do, just without an adult to provide some of the finer points of flight operations and protein acquisition. But the chicks are hardwired to do these things so starting 2-3 weeks after fledging, less of the food we provided would be eaten until finally it wasn't eaten at all and then the chicks were on their own.
And for those of you who are squeamish about "dead bird parts", takes about 3 days on duty as an hack site attendant to get over that condition :D
BirdLover:
We have three girls and a boy here bev. I am planning on going down later in the evening today to see if I can catch sight of them all bedding down for the night.
I'll say it's been a successful year :o Seven chicks in MB alone that we know of!!!
bev.:
I do not have time to look back on all the posts.
sorry I have not kept up here but was so busy at Edmonton site.
How many males and females again.
Glad they are all doing well. I like to go down in the evening where I can see the skills and see them tuck in (at Edmonton site)
If you watch ,you will see where yours spend the night.
I think this year has been a success all around as there seems to be somany more taking part in the observations on the ground of the falcons. :) :-* :-*
Rose:
--- Quote from: The Peregrine Chick on August 05, 2009, 14:10 ---
--- Quote from: Rose on August 05, 2009, 08:51 ---Question for TPC. When and how did the McKenzie nest get started? People keep asking and I don't have any real answers,it would be nice to be able to tell them. :)
--- End quote ---
The McKenzie Seeds Building was used initially in 1990 as a hack site but the nestbox was installed on the building as well since it was such a perfect location for peregrines. The first wild nest was in 1993 when they had one female chick and then they added a male captive-bred foster chick. After that we pretty much had 4 chicks every year, give or take a couple of years with only 3! We have had 5 pairs in Brandon I believe ... Mufasa & B1, Mufasa & Phoebe (our big producers), Zeus & Holly, Screech & Holly (no slouches in the producing department either) and now Zeus & Hurricane. I think that was all of them but will check to be sure ...
--- End quote ---
Thank you TPC . But what's a hack site?
Shocka88:
I'm back from holidays and caught up on all the "reading". Glad that the Brandon chicks took to the air without a hitch. Thanks to everyone for the updates.
Thanks to BL for meeting me at the parkade way back on the 19th before the chicks had fledged. It was wonderful to see and hear them in person.......indescribable!! I felt sooo fortunate.
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