!!! McKinney or Mac as he was nick-named has had to been put-down as a result of his injuries!
June 28, 2016 - Toronto - Don Mills and Eglinton - Amexon
Mark Nash Reports:
June 28th - 2016
We have some terrible news to report about Mac,, the new resident adult male with Quest at the Duncan Mills nest site.
Sadly, we have just received a call from Lisa at the TWC that an adult peregrine with Red tape, banded with a Black Canadian Recovery band W over 78 was just received from the Toronto Animal Services moments ago after being picked up from the streets on Bayview Ave., with multiple bone breaks and fractures along with severe internal trauma. Black W over 78 turns out to be McKinney,, Quests mate!!
Unfortunately Mac, (McKinney) had to be put down, as there was absolutely no way of saving him given the extent of his injuries and internal trauma.
McKinney,, (or Mac as he was nick-named), was produced at the Don Mills and Eglinton nest site at the Amexon building in 2014. Mac re-appeared out of the blue late this season where he replaced the existing resident adult male (Sky) at the Duncan Mills nest site where Quest and Sky were already involved in full time incubation of four fertile eggs.
Incredibly, Mac, assisted Quest with both with her incubation duties of the four eggs, and then adopted the hatchlings and assisted with feeding and raising them as if they were his own!
We were all waiting and closely watching with baited breath to see if Mac would continue on with the role as a father. He proved himself and proceeded to both assist with the feeding of the four hatchlings and then carry on with the other parental duties throughout. He has in fact been flight training the four fledglings as we documented during the fledge watch several weeks ago!!
Sadly, it looks like Quest is now on her own once again to finish the flight training of her four fledglings and to teach them to hunt, (a role that is usually undertaken by the adult male).
We will be watching closely again to see if Quest will be able to keep up with the demands of her four fledglings again this season!
As you may recall, the same thing happened to poor Quest several seasons ago when her long standing mate “Kendal” was found injured and Quest was left to raise her four fledglings on her own for the balance of the season. Kendal was not able to be returned back to the wild given the severity of his injuries.
Quest was successful as a single parent that year, (although two years younger),, but there is no reason to believe that she should have any problems this time, so long as she herself stays out of the traffic and clear of the buildings!!!!