McKenzie Seeds - 2018 / Sol & Hurricane

[Alison]

Thank you for the update and excellent photos, RCF! Sol and Hurricane are both beautiful birds. I am sorry that they did not have chicks this year.

I hope next year will be much more successful for them.

[RCF]

Well, I guess it's the end of another season for our falcons........It's a long wait until April!

 Sol was here until September 25th and Hurricane stayed to October 3rd. The last time I saw her it was snowing and was on the south light preening.

Hurricane Oct 3/18



Sept 22/18




Sol  Sept 25/18

[BirdLover]

Agreed TPC!  Thanks to RCF for keeping vigil.  I know how dedicated she is to this nest.

[The Peregrine Chick]

https://twitter.com/mbperegrines/status/1021189422363095041

I said it in the tweet, but it does bear saying again, thank you to RCF for checking on these two daily!  She keep the vigil while Hurricane and Sol continued to trade places incubating their eggs.  Today when she phoned she had been out in the pouring rain when she finally saw Hurricane and Sol both out of the box at the same time!  Better than that, neither one of them seemed inclined to go back and cover the eggs as the rain came pouring down.  That's a total of 74 days of perseverance by Hurricane, Sol and RCF!!! Not sure who should get the parenting award this year - Hurricane and Sol or RCF!!! 

Big round of applause!

[The Peregrine Chick]

TPC: Do you know if there were any this year that just did not hatch, or is it like the Radisson with no eggs?  I realize there is no cam and that it might not be possible to check if there were eggs.

RCF has been watching incubation behaviour by both Sol and Hurricane which is different from the courting and/or pair bonding activity we have seen between Pip and Princess. Sol and Hurricane wouldn’t spend the amount of time they do nor switch off the way they have been if there weren’t eggs to incubate.  Princess and Pip just spend time in/at the nestbox, they aren’t using it for anything ... well Pip is certainly practicing his scrap-building but that’s not the same thing.

[sparkster]

TPC: Do you know if there were any this year that just did not hatch, or is it like the Radisson with no eggs?  I realize there is no cam and that it might not be possible to check if there were eggs. 

[The Peregrine Chick]

https://twitter.com/mbperegrines/status/1010985373504360448

[RCF]

I know some of you have been waiting for an update on the McKenzie Falcons, so here goes.

I haven't seen a food delivery to the nest yet so I don't know for sure if they have any hatches. That doesn't mean they don't...I just haven't seen anything. 

 I can tell you that most every morning around 6:30 a.m. Hurricane has been on the tower or on a light preening or napping with a full crop, Sol in the box of course.  I didn't see her this morning and it seems Sol has been hanging out lately where I can see him. He hides somewhere and I can't find him.

I stopped by there yesterday before shopping and Sol was on the tower, Hurricane in the nest. I came back an hour later and saw that Hurricane was eating a pigeon on the north west corner of the building.  She never ate the whole thing and stuffed it in the gutter and went back to the nest box.  So that makes me think there is or are hatches. Usually she would not go back as quick and would let Sol incubate for much longer. That's all I can tell you for now.

[The Peregrine Chick]

https://twitter.com/mbperegrines/status/1006561658511265792

RCF sent her note on the 12th but my spam filter ate it 

She will let us know when she sees a change in Hurricane's and Sol's behaviour that would indicate chicks have arrived.  Always tougher to determine the start of incubation and hatching from the ground but RCF knows these birds and what to look for!

[GCG]

Any updates?

Haven't heard anything from RCF nor a couple of our other local spotters.  RCF would recognize the signs of hatching even at a distance while some of our other spotters might not.  Haven't had any reports that there might be problems so fingers crossed.

Talons crossed.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Any updates?

Haven't heard anything from RCF nor a couple of our other local spotters.  RCF would recognize the signs of hatching even at a distance while some of our other spotters might not.  Haven't had any reports that there might be problems so fingers crossed.

[GCG]

Any updates?

[The Peregrine Chick]

Realized as I was tweeting updates that I hadn't included an update on McKenzie Seeds about the fire - I have rectified that with a mea culpa ...

https://twitter.com/mbperegrines/status/1002971949415501826

[bev.]

meant to com e here sooner.s some years back I paid a visit to Brandon to watch the falcons. ( we have relatives in Winnipeg)

I remember the area well. I really feel for the people in the area. what a tragedy. hopefully there are enough people who care about the history, and they can rebuild history. I love these quaint areas in a city. I always look for them , and that is where we like to eat and relax.  I just remember how friendly everyone was. Adn I did get to see the falcons

I am so glad the falcons  are O.K. sorry, my first thought was the falcons.

I am hoping the community will get behind these businesses.

thanks for checking RCF.

[burdi]

When I was in Brandon last week, I was checking out the birds from that the office supply store's parking lot - right across from the Massey Building condo block.  It will be weird to be back there in a while and have it looks so different - it has basically looked the same since I started with the Project ... gods a very very long time ago ... not sure if I didn't have drinks where the beer vendor is way back in my undergrad days when we had a urban planning field course out in Brandon ...

Having seen how solidly McKenzie Seeds was built in 1910 and that the Massey Building is of an age (built in 1913) I hope the bones of the building survives and that they are able to repair/renovate again.  There are a number of these beautiful old buildings by the rail lines in Brandon that really should be given a second (or third) lease on life.  Great bones, great (really really great views), out of range of flood damage and while it doesn't take a particularly long time to get anywhere in Brandon, the downtown is going through a bit of a commercial revitalization that would really boost the appeal of living downtown and living downtown would really boost the revitalization.  Same could be said for lots of places but Brandon's downtown has a nice size/feel to it that could make it easier or perhaps more appealing for developers.  And it isn't as though Brandon doesn't have the need for more housing.  Would be nice to think it doesn't all come down to money - that helping other businesses, helping people and helping the community overall might play a role.  Or maybe I'm just too much of an optimist. 

I think that with your many fond memories around the McKenzie Seeds site, you will likely experience a rather difficult to describe feeling on your next visit to Brandon, TPC.

RCF and Rose will likely also be affected, I believe, as they spend so much of their time in that area. And of course it must be extremely difficult for anyone who was directly affected by the fires.

Yes, Brandon has a number of structures quite similar to the McKenzie Seeds building, and I greatly admire their beautiful cornices, etc. Hopefully they will rebuild or repair the damaged buildings, and maybe they'll even attempt to fully restore Massey Manor. I heard a few varying comments on the radio, so we'll have to wait and see.

http://www.timescolonist.com/apartment-building-involved-in-massive-brandon-fire-can-hopefully-be-saved-1.23309364