Peeping Nests

As the season progresses we visit the nests in our research area once a week to get numbers and ages of nestlings. The nests are typically too high to climb so we attach a camera to the end of a paint rolling pole and try to get a full view of all the nest and the contents. 

Nest peeping can sometimes be a challenge. It usually starts with crawling through a barbed-wire fence.  Followed by keeping track of the hawks flying overhead whilst avoiding twisting an ankle in a gofer hole and trying not to upset the field of cows and bulls. I've gotten away with ankle injuries so far but that doesn't mean I haven't ended up flat on my face staring at the grass hoping the gofer was the only one that saw it happen. Then, if it's been raining, which it has, you might also come across some unexpected ponds that don't seem to be too deep to walk through until you step onto a fairly solid looking tuft of grass, and then watch as your non-waterproof hiking boot disappears slowly as it's engulfed by stagnant swamp sludge. 

Then there's the clouds of mosquitoes which you can out run until you have to get back through that barbed-wire fence. 

But it's all worth it to get to see the hawk babies and collect the important data. 

The parents are now committed to their nests but we keep the nest visit times to a minimum. Once the young reach 30 days we avoid peeping the nest to avoid premature fledgling of the nestling.


The nestling to the left is around 38 days old. Mum is keeping a close watch over the nest.

These nestlings are about 36 days old. Looks like they are ready to look after themselves!

Recent storms have hit the nesting birds hard, not all nests have made it, some have been predated, others couldn't take the strain of the harsh weather. Many however are doing great, today I saw a full nest of 5 fledglings! It won't be long now until we start to seem them test out their new flight feathers!

Today I saw the prairies reflected in the eyes of a breath taking hawk.

Part of the University of Alberta Ferruginous Hawk study involves trapping the hawks and attaching leg bands and tracking devices. By trapping the birds we can get information such as migration routes, overwintering ground location and home range use. The devices record a location once every minute and are designed to fall off after 1-2 years and run off solar power. Every day the transmitter sends an email containing the movement locations for that day. This data can be seen on a 3D map showing the location and elevation the birds have been flying at.  

First we choose a mild, dry day and make sure the chosen nest has young that are old enough to with stand the brief  absence of their parents. This male is keeping guard over his transmission tower nest whilst the female sits on the nest.

Next we set up the nets.

Live Great Horned Owls are a natural enemy of the hawks and often prey on young in the nest. The hawks will defend the nest against the owls by swooping down and dive bombing them. We have Fiest, a rehabilitated and rescued bird from a local sanctuary to use as a hawk lure. Fiest sits behind a Dho Gazza net. As the hawks swoop the owl it gets caught in the net and the owl remains unharmed. 

Then we sit in a blind and wait hawks to get caught. The aim is to catch the male as he will provide more  location readings than the females who to tend to stick closer to the nest. A falconry hood is placed on the bird to keep it calm during banding and transmitter attachment. 

The transmitter is checked and then double checked to make sure it is loose enough before the release. 

I had the privilege of releasing this light coloured (or light morph) male.  

Just before I gave him back his freedom, I got chills as I noticed I could see the vast prairies reflected in his eye.

Then I gave the him back to the prairies. 

Here is a link to a great video of the project and who and what it involves. http://www.biodiversityandclimate.abmi.ca/ .