Bad News
While on work rounds yesterday a quick check of the nest showed only one egg.
Mark Nash from CPF reports,
There are a number of causes of a failed hatch, and any one or more of the
following can be the cause.
We have seen this often with new pairs, and their first time nesting.
Being very in-experienced, the slightest bit of stress can cause them to
break the eggs, - (as with the pair in St. Catherine's years past,,, the
Toronto uptown nest site last year,,, Toronto Sheraton Hotel last year, and
past years).
Firstly, - incomplete copulation, resulting in non fertilization of the eggs
to begin with
Secondly, - unsuitable nesting materials, poor nesting conditions -
i.e. - too cold, too damp, or too wet.
Thirdly, - inexperienced (incomplete incubation), abandoned nest.
Unlike other birds eggs, peregrines eggs are very much affected by slight
environmental changes, including the temperature changes An in-experienced
pair (and new pairs) often fail at their first attempt to hatch their first
clutch of eggs because they have chosen a bad place to nest with poor
nesting conditions.
As far as missing eggs, once again this is very normal (for a unsuccessful
or failed hatch). The egg shells are a very high source of calcium, which
the peregrines need. Unlike many of the other species of birds (Robbins are
a good example) that carry the egg shells away from and out of the nests,
the adult peregrines eat the egg shells. This is a valuable resource of
calcium that the peregrines need lots of.
For pairs that go thought a full incubation period (33 to 35 days, and some
times longer), without a hatch, the adult female will break the eggs and eat
both the contents and shells. Just like a human female carrying a baby,
they seem to know that the incubation period is beyond hatch, (and seem to
know that the eggs are not fertile), and often break the eggs and eat the
shells.
There is really now way of knowing what the causes of a failed hatch, unless
an unbroken egg can be recovered and brought back to the lab for testing.
While on work rounds yesterday a quick check of the nest showed only one egg.
Mark Nash from CPF reports,
There are a number of causes of a failed hatch, and any one or more of the
following can be the cause.
We have seen this often with new pairs, and their first time nesting.
Being very in-experienced, the slightest bit of stress can cause them to
break the eggs, - (as with the pair in St. Catherine's years past,,, the
Toronto uptown nest site last year,,, Toronto Sheraton Hotel last year, and
past years).
Firstly, - incomplete copulation, resulting in non fertilization of the eggs
to begin with
Secondly, - unsuitable nesting materials, poor nesting conditions -
i.e. - too cold, too damp, or too wet.
Thirdly, - inexperienced (incomplete incubation), abandoned nest.
Unlike other birds eggs, peregrines eggs are very much affected by slight
environmental changes, including the temperature changes An in-experienced
pair (and new pairs) often fail at their first attempt to hatch their first
clutch of eggs because they have chosen a bad place to nest with poor
nesting conditions.
As far as missing eggs, once again this is very normal (for a unsuccessful
or failed hatch). The egg shells are a very high source of calcium, which
the peregrines need. Unlike many of the other species of birds (Robbins are
a good example) that carry the egg shells away from and out of the nests,
the adult peregrines eat the egg shells. This is a valuable resource of
calcium that the peregrines need lots of.
For pairs that go thought a full incubation period (33 to 35 days, and some
times longer), without a hatch, the adult female will break the eggs and eat
both the contents and shells. Just like a human female carrying a baby,
they seem to know that the incubation period is beyond hatch, (and seem to
know that the eggs are not fertile), and often break the eggs and eat the
shells.
There is really now way of knowing what the causes of a failed hatch, unless
an unbroken egg can be recovered and brought back to the lab for testing.
