Author Topic: Radisson - 2015 / Smiley & Princess  (Read 100997 times)

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Offline newchick

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #410 on: June 11, 2015, 17:10 »
Lovely day in the nestbox - Smiley has been hanging out looking beautiful on the edge of the box most of the morning.  Princess has been hanging out as well - couple of waltzes with her man and a nice long (2hr+) nap on the box edge.

Any more observations on the defunt eggs and what may have happened to them?

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #409 on: June 11, 2015, 12:27 »
Both Princess and her predecessor Madame have nested on the ledge so can't entirely blame Princess for poor decision-making, but certainly, she has nested there more often than Madame ever did. And Princess was hatched in a nestbox - not sure about Madame, it was a long time ago and the records are sketchier but I suspect she did as well. 

Can't even blame the men in their lives because Trey was Madame's mate and Princess' mate - T-Rex was only Madame's mate and he started the ball rolling back the year Trey hatched.  Ivy was from the box and Smiley came out of a nestbox so they don't have memories of the box, they just make scrapes wherever they find a suitable spot.  Having said all that, right now it is Princess that is encouraging Smiley to make scrapes on the ledge - when he arrives he is stuck to the nestbox like glue and when she doesn't show interest, then he follows her and will make scrapes on the nestledge in order to please her.  He did this last year and this year - this year she chose the ledge.  With Ivy, in the 4 years they were together, she used the nestbox for the first three years, ledge (Tenzing & Hillary) for the last. 

Why she chooses which may have something to do with their scrape making skills perhaps?  I don't know - certainly Trey made lovely scrapes and Ivy was a digger, his scrapes looked like craters in the nestbox, she used to smooth them out a bit once she started incubating.  Smiley's scrapes are good but they aren't as deep or perhaps as big as Ivy's and Trey's were.  Perhaps it is a combination of the scrape itself and the area it is in, perhaps the ledge is bigger and his scrapes are more symmetrical there?  Maybe the years Trey's and Ivy's scrapes on the ledge were chosen the ones in the nestbox were too close to the back wall and therefore weren't symmetrical or or or or?  Couldn't say, it really is up to the ladies in their lives I'm afraid.  I should say that she is far from the only female that alternates between nest locations at a particular site or within a territory, at least she sticks to the same building, makes it so much easier when it comes to cameras!

Or perhaps she just likes to keep us guessing.

Offline sparkster

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #408 on: June 11, 2015, 09:27 »
I have been thinking about Princess, spending so much time in the nest box and wondering if perhaps that is where she likes to go for her "me time". Maybe it is smelly, and messy, and noisy with all of the chicks and she would prefer to look after the chicks elsewhere and keep her special place pristine and for herself. Maybe that is why she lays her eggs on the next ledge sometimes? ;)

Offline dupre501

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #407 on: June 11, 2015, 08:26 »
In the end, the female always has final choice where she lays her eggs. From other years in the WW area, we know that Beau made scrapes in nest boxes and Jules laid her eggs in imaginary scrapes instead. The year they had their first chick, two of the eggs never hatched as they were cracked,probably from rolling on the hard surface she laid them on. TPC then added a tuppernest and we had the one chick.

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #406 on: June 10, 2015, 22:26 »
Did Princess choose the east nest ledge or was it Smiley who chose it for her, by making a scrape? ???

Offline susha

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #405 on: June 10, 2015, 20:48 »
It's been very interesting to watch these two this year of being child-free.  I check in often during the day and evening and other than the hottest part of the afternoon, someone is always there.  Calmly and quietly keeping watch over their territory.  And I wonder again, why Princess chose the ledge to lay her eggs when she seems so comfortable here... ???

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #404 on: June 10, 2015, 12:11 »
Lovely day in the nestbox - Smiley has been hanging out looking beautiful on the edge of the box most of the morning.  Princess has been hanging out as well - couple of waltzes with her man and a nice long (2hr+) nap on the box edge.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #403 on: June 09, 2015, 09:31 »
Just saw somebirdie pecking at stones and seemed to be distracted. Flew away quickly from inside the box. As that happened, another came from inside. Still there.

Princess is usually the one rearranging the pebbles and nibbling on/at the wood ...

Offline GCG

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #402 on: June 09, 2015, 05:39 »
Just saw somebirdie pecking at stones and seemed to be distracted. Flew away quickly from inside the box. As that happened, another came from inside. Still there.

Offline allikat

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #401 on: June 08, 2015, 14:11 »
He was sittin' there for quite some time!  Nice to see him hangin' around.   ;D

Offline bccs

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #400 on: June 07, 2015, 18:32 »
Smiley is on the ledge on the north end. That seems to be his favourite spot.

Offline Moonstar

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #399 on: June 07, 2015, 17:26 »
I was wondering who was there.  Looks like he is there a lot.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #398 on: June 07, 2015, 17:23 »
Smiley is on the box at the moment, having a preen in the sun ... seems very interested in something, may not be there long ...

Offline bccs

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #397 on: June 07, 2015, 14:30 »
There's a falcon on the nest box right now, I do believe it's Smiley.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - 2015 / June
« Reply #396 on: June 06, 2015, 11:44 »
Here are some pictures of poor bedraggled Smiley being a good solider guarding the nestbox in the rain just before noon today ...