AB / Edmonton - Weber Centre - 2009-18

[bev.]

This is the most difficult thing I have had to do in a long time  Many of you that know me via the cam, have probably noticed that I have not posted much this week.  It is beca use I have been camped out at Weber building.

Monday of this week, June22, Peter and went down to the site and we noticed that the  male was not there. We thought he went out hunting.
But he did not come back and relieve Miss Edmonton, as he usually does in the evening. We stayed there until dark and no male.  but Miss Edmonton kept eggs incubated except for a few minutes. She was not stressed at all.

Tuesday I spent all day at the site except for 1.5 hours. No male the whole time.  Miss Edmonton only left  for  about 3 minutes , to the Weber building to their stash. Probably to eat. I went home in that 1.5 hours to notify the biologists.
Tuesday night  Miss Edmonton called and called, and I cried and cried.

Wednesday I went down for most of the day and by now Miss Edmonton is only on the eggs intermittently. No male. I mentioned to the biologists that it would be nice if dummy eggs were put in and hers taken out to incubate. Dummy eggs , in case the male comes back or she attracts another.  On Wednesday ,Miss Edmonton flew in all the directions that the male usually went. She was looking for him. She perched on all his perches plus her own.  I kept her company as I wept .  I knew that eventually she would have to leave the eggs more and more so she could hunt.

Thursday , due to family commitments  I could not go down. but the biologist e-mailed me and he had gone to the Weber building nest site and put dummy eggs in the nest and took out hers.  Gord  said she had 3 eggs. Miss Edmonton flew over the building while he switched eggs but she made no sound which he said was strange.  He then took them out to TEfrys(falcon breeders) and they incubated them for 20 minutes and then candled them. 2 eggs had live embryo. So they will incubate them. This brightened my day .

I  know that we are not to get attached but anyone that knows me knows that this is my girl and I so wanted her to have a good year. I understand all about nature and everything but I was literally sick all week. We have no idea what happened to the male. We scoured the area and no sign.  He would not have  just up and left so something must have happened while he was out hunting. It could not be an intruder or the intruder would still be around.

We believe he went missing sometime Monday as Miss Edmonton was not stressed on Monday at all. Peter and I went down  Friday night and today. Friday night she was still facing the nest site but on the Weber building. She flew off and stooped pigeons at a distance but did not stay away long.

Today she was on the E on the Weber building but after a while she flew on the opposite side on the W. She had no view of the nest site so she has abandoned it. I knew this would happen.  Words can not describe the empty pit in my stomach .  everything looked so good . He was a great male.

So we will continue to go down every second day just to make sure she is O.K. and to see if a new male turns up just to keep her company for the rest of the season. I guess It is better it happens now than just when the eggs would be about to hatch.  So with a heavy heart I will sign off now.

[allikat]

Bev..thank you very much for the updates!!! Hope all is well!

[Alison]

Thank you for the update and pics, Bev! I hope everything is okay with Miss Edmonton and Beau. They both deserve only good things.

[carly]

Thanks for the update Bev.  I hope the nest and eggs are okay and didn't suffer any damage.

[bev.]

WE went down on Friday June19 adn everything wa O.K>  I got a few shots of male but blued out the background fro obvious reasons. there were also some shots of Miss Edmonton. We could have got some good flying ones of Male but did not want to be obvious.  We will go down again tonight to just check as we had a real downpour ,in St. Albert last night. I want to make sure everything is O>k. at the site.It was like a monssoon here. WOW!!!!! Do not know what it was like at the site.

slideshow - http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x135/fullbrandt/bev%2014/?action=view&current=fb1466ac.pbw[/URL

[Liz]

Don't stress it bev.  I think it was generally understood what you meant. 

[bev.]

I hope I did not offend by using the word "stupid". I think I clarified it. I  just used it in reference to another comment made.
So many people are not educated as to falcons or any other bird species and so the need to protect is there.
they are not" stupid". Just uneducated. I wish more educating could be done.

I went to the site last night and everything looks good . I  will post a few  picutres later.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Question?
Are nest sites disclosed (as in all Geographic areas is seems) for reasons of "stupidity amongst the humans" or do the falcons abandon their nests because too many people are looking up from below - "we're not a side show" (which seems odd)  but? why? 

When nest sites are kept anonymous it usually has something to do with security - for the birds and the building's occupants.  There are always people who want a closer look, so some sites are not disclosed.  It was/is much more common at cliff-sites because it is almost impossible to be able to secure those sites because of their location, sites in cities are much more "secureable" so we can use them for educational purposes without putting them at risk much of the time.  As for people looking up a tthem, the peregrines don't pay the least attention to us except when we get to close to their chicks or their nestsites.

[bev.]

This nest  site is not very private so we do not want unwanted attention.  And  where this is , we might get " Stupid" humans interfering.
by that I mean people who do not know any better.

when the eggs hatch and I can get pictures of the kids, I will but I will block out the site.

[Holly-Birdeze]

Question?
Are nest sites disclosed (as in all Geographic areas is seems) for reasons of "stupidity amongst the humans" or do the falcons abandon their nests because too many people are looking up from below - "we're not a side show" (which seems odd)  but? why?

[bev.]

We do not take too many pictures here as not to disclose site(nest site)

When we got there Miss Edmonton was on the top southeast ledge of Weber building and Beau was incubating.  We got there about 7:00pm  There are always gulls around but I am always looking to make sure intruder never comes back.

At about 7:42 Beau sits up at nest site and looks around and then he flies off to Weber building and lands on top ledge on NE side so they are opposite each other.(he is telling her to be careful for the night and he will stand watch) Miss Edmonton then flies off of nest ledge and settles in for the night .

I only have a shot of Miss Edmonton tonight but will go through pictures for other shots tomorrow. I will get some more of the male.  We are just trying to lay low so no one knows what we are looking at.  The weber building is O.K> bu the other one is one we are keeping quiet about.  I was worried this morning as we had rain all night and all morning but sun is out now. I am not sure if Edmonton got it. they do not have too much protection.

[bev.]

A  friend of nature went down on Wednesday night while I was away and reported all was well. thank-you very much.

I went last night to see for myself and Miss E was on the Weber building and Beau(the male) was in the scrape.  You can not see Beau when he is hunkered down and that is good Miss E flew off the Weber building a few times. She went out of view but we are assuming eating at the stash or hunting or just getting some exercise. We waited until Beau  got up and flew over to the Weber building ,one ledge above Miss E. Miss E then flew over to scrape and settled in for the night.

I do not take many pictures because I do not want to alert anyone to where the scrape is. I think we have one of Miss E  from last night and I will post later
and I am thinking, how will I ever keep up with 2 sites But there is no cam here so I will do it.

It rained last night and just started as we were leaving.

[bev.]

I will be going down tonihgt to do a spot check here and seed that everything is O.K.

[bev.]

here are just a few shots I have more of Miss E . Just have to figure out how to get hem so you do not see where she is nesting.

 

 

 

[bev.]

Was down at the site last night and tonight.  The male at this site does not have a band. They were thinking of banding him but, it did not happen.  they are doing nicely but the cold is not helping. I had a special friend down there  tonight.. someone I can trust not to reveal the site. That person is going to discreetly check on things while I am gone.

I will download pcitures when I came back I promise. WE only have about 500. So I have to pick the BEst.

the male is doing a great job and I find it touching that he goes over and sits by MIss E  just before he tucks in.  Miss E may have more than 2 eggs. That is just what Gord saw when he checked on Monday.  I figure a hatch around the first week in July and fledge around the middle of  August.  I was hoping they would put a nest tray there but I think not.

I will be keeping a real close eye on them.  I find it interesting that  when  he is on the  WEber building he sits on the  ledge one down . MIss E always sits 3 or 4 down.  We are calling him BEau , right. It is hard to see them when they are  incubating , right now as it is so cold that they are scrunched right down. but with patience you can eventually see a bit.

So I will post pictures when I get back late next week.   If I have time I will try and sneak in a few before I go to bed.