forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata

> From: Sharon Watson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: August 15, 2014 at 10:44:02 AM CDT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [ND-BIRDS] Fwd: [Manitobabirds] Mississippi Kite update
> Reply-To: Sharon Watson <[log in to unmask]>
> 
> For those of you that are interested.
> Sharon Watson
> Buxton ND
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [Manitobabirds] Mississippi Kite update
> From: "christian artuso [log in to unmask] [Manitobabirds]" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> CC: 
> 
> Many people have asked me for an update on Winnipeg’s now famous Mississippi Kites. As I mentioned on the interview I did on breakfast television (http://www.btwinnipeg.ca/videos/3725151058001/) this looks to be the first nest in Canada (I checked as thoroughly as I could and found no other breeding records despite the fact that there are two records in Saskatchewan and approximately 67, in Ontario. As was posted earlier, a nest with one downy young was located by several people (two different groups who found the nest independently from two different vantage points).
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> On 8th August, I estimated the chick to be approximately 24 or 25 days old, and it was observed flapping its wings and standing on the rim of the nest. Both adults were moulting by that point and one has lost both p1 and p2 (in the backlighting I couldn’t tell whether male or female). Unfortunately, shortly before 5 pm that day, both adults landed on the nest simultaneously resulting in the chick falling from the rim all the way to the ground. Luckily Amanda Guercio and Kayla Putty, who are currently banding at Delta, witnessed the chick fall and rescued it from immediate danger (chicks are extremely vulnerable on the ground) and called me. Jake Gillis and I arrived within 10 minutes and, after a rapid assessment of the chick (remarkably good shape despite the fall), we used a long stick to place the chick as high on the nest tree as possible. After telephone consultation between Jim Duncan, Tracy Maconachie and myself, Tracy and I went to the site in the late evening where we were joined by Amanda, Kayla, Pierre Richard, Bob Hodgson, Michael Lloyd and Donna Martin. We assessed the situation and formulated a plan for the following morning. Bob would supply ladders and tools and Pierre found a contact in Dan Spiers, a Nature Manitoba member who operates a business called “Affordable Tree and Stump Removal” (www.affordabletree.ca). It was 10 pm when I called Dan and I soon learned that I was calling him on the eve of his son’s birthday. Not only did he forgive my intrusion, he even agreed to arrive on the scene at 6 am the following morning with his bucket truck, proving once again the exceptional generosity of Nature Manitoba volunteers!
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> At 6 am the following morning, Tracy and I checked the chick rapidly and were very happy with its condition. Pierre and Bob precut and pre-mounted screws into a wooden crate I had found in my garage and Dan quickly mounted it in the nest tree below the nest before the chick was raised to him. Dan took a video of this which he will put on his web site in due course. We were in and out in 45 minutes and the parents were seen and heard nearby – all indications were good! We then vacated the area because at that point in time the most important thing was that the parents find the young and we were worried that excess human activity around the nest could have delayed or prevented that.
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> Over the next few days careful monitoring occurred from as far away as possible (extreme care necessary not to be visible near the nest). The wonderfully generous home owners proved to be a huge asset in this aspect (and in all other aspects!) as they gave us permission to do what we needed and they observed the kite family from their home as best they could. Fortunately pedestrian traffic in the area was minimal. Nonetheless, in the days that followed, there was no evidence that the adults were feeding the chick and their presence in the neighbourhood became increasingly sporadic. The chick was alert, active and vocal. On the evening of the 11th August, the chick lay down in the crate and stayed more or less in the corner, causing concerns of malnourishment.  On the following day, with no sign of either adult near the nest and the chick still lying in the corner of the crate, we enlisted the help, on very short notice, of Dennis Swayze to bring and climb an extension ladder and lower the chick to me waiting below. Tracy and I both concluded that the chick was in poor shape (keel felt sharp) and Tracy brought the chick to the zoo head vet, Dr Chris Enright, for examination.
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> The chick was found to be in surprisingly good shape, thin but not emaciated and with a reasonably good hydration level given the circumstances. The zoo veterinary clinic succeeded in getting the chick to feed and it continued to feed and improve on the following day. The adults do not appear to be in the area of the nest any more. Some of the sightings in other parts of the city seem to suggest they had begun dispersing as early as last Saturday.
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> We are currently researching and reviewing options for the chick’s rehabilitation and ultimate release. Obviously this is complicated by the fact that Mississippi Kite is a highly migratory species that winters in South America and that hawk watches well south of us have already recorded good numbers on passage. There are some aspects of kite biology though that can work in our favour. We will do everything we possibly can to give this chick a chance to return to the wild. I don’t yet know what the final strategy will be as a few more days of consultation and research are required.   
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> This may seem a sad end for the first nest in Canada but at least the chick has survived and will be released into the wild with a fighting chance. It is important to remember that Mississippi Kites have very low nesting success overall (rural nests average 0.6 fledglings per nest and urban/suburban nests average 1.1 or 1.2 depending on population). I suspect these birds were first time parents. In short, this outcome is perhaps not particularly unusual for this species under these circumstances. Despite this turn of events, it is still possible that Mississippi Kites return to Manitoba next year as they have done elsewhere. We can only hope… 
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> A huge thank you to all who donated their time so generously!
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>  
> 
> Christian Artuso (Winnipeg)
> 
> 
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> Posted by: christian artuso <[log in to unmask]>
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