Humans like to think of
themselves as a 'faithful species' but when it comes to true fidelity, many other animals offer
better examples of...how to keep a relationship together. Although monogamous and long-life-pair-bonds
are generally rare in the animal kingdom, there are some animals that succeed.
We, as humans can learn much from them if we but observe...and practise!
Throughout my extensive 'odyssey'
about Mourning Doves, who three different times nested on one of my balcony chairs,
I experienced and learned much about the 'relationship' between humans and
these loving mourning doves. In 2011. I
wrote in the concluding blog article ~ The Human Touch:
During 'pregnancy' the parents
share the time and effort to bring the babies to fruition.
They each feed the young with
'milk' to nourish them several times a day.
They provide shelter from
storms and care for their family with whatever means they have.
They help their 'squabs'
prepare for 'Life beyond the Nest'...often pushing them out to fly on their
own.
It's a story of
affection and of Peace in a harsh environment.
It's a story of
violence in often a 'world of troubled people.'
It's a story of love
and devotion to one's partner.
It's a story of love
for the offspring.
It's a story of 'love
and life lost'.
It's a story of
'grief, sadness and sorrow.'
Yet...is one of a New Life and
Rebirth...and a story of gentleness.
A Good Bird Broken
by a Fickle Mate
~ a true story
written by Steve Buist in the Hamilton Spectator ~
There will be an autopsy, but surely that's not
necessary. It's as plain as the beak on
your face. Surge, the falcon is
dead, and how can it be from anything other than a broken heart?
Surge, the faithful old feathered
sentinel atop the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel, had been recuperating for the past
five weeks after losing a vicious territorial struggle with a new rival vying
for the affections of his longtime mate...Madame X. On a cold January night, a wounded Surge was
found near the HMCS Haida. His beak was cracked...one nostril was
punctured...an eye was scratched.
At 13 years of age, the sands of
time were running out for Surge, but he seemed to be making a steady recovery
at the Owl Foundation sanctuary in Vineland.
His days as Madame X's main squeeze were finished...there was still hope
a place could be found where he'd be able to putter around in retirement.
But Wednesday morning, Surge was
discovered on the floor, breathing with difficulty. He was taken to the Ontario Veterinary
College in Guelph and found to be having seizures. He was given medication and that appeared to
be working. Mike Street, a senior monitor with the Hamilton Community Peregrine
Project's Falconwatch said they were ready to give him another dose of the
anti-seizure medicine...and he just keeled over. The vets at the OVC were very
puzzled as to why this happened. Age
certainly could have been a factor. Male and female peregrines have lived for
15 to 20 years in captivity but in the wild, 13 years is pretty darned good.
Surge was, by all
accounts, a devoted mate and father!
The identity of the newcomer that
knocked Surge off his perch remains a mystery, although he appears to be
engaging in some type of courting ritual at the moment with Madame X.
Mike Street states, “Surge will
be hard to replace. He was always attentive to the chicks, especially when they
were learning to fly. We always said
that Madame X whipped him into shape.”
Animals That Mate
for Life
Lovebirds are social and
affectionate small parrots: 8 species are native to Africa and the gray-headed
lovebird is native to Madagascar. Their name stems from the parrots' strong
monogamous bonding with the long periods which the paired birds spend sitting
together.
Gibbons are the nearest
relatives to humans that mate for life.
They form extremely strong pair bonds.
The couple will spend time grooming each other and literally hanging out
together in trees.
Swans form monogamous
bonds that last for years and in some cases, for life. Their loyalty to their mates is such that the
image of 2 swans swimming with their necks entwined in the shape of a heart has
become a nearly universal symbol of love.
Black Vultures: Good looks are not a prerequisite to a
faithful relationship. In fact, black
vulture society makes sure of that! They
have been known to attack other vultures who've been philandering!
French Angelfish: You're unlikely to ever find a French
angelfish alone. These creatures live,
travel and even hunt in pairs. The fish
form monogamous bonds that often last as long as both are alive.
Wolves: Wolves have a family life that is more
loyal and pious than most human relationships. Packs normally consist of a
male, female and their offspring, essentially making wolf packs akin to
a nuclear family.
Albatrosses may fly great
distances over the oceans, but despite extreme travels, these birds will always
return to the same place and be with the same partner when it's time to
breed. Pair bonds form over several years...cemented through
the use of goofy, but affectionate ritual dances.
Termites: In an ant colony a 'queen' mates once
with the male(s), stores the gametes for life...and the male ants die shortly
after mating. Several species of
termites can form life-long pair-bonds between a female 'queen' and a single
male 'king'...who literally gave birth to their entire kingdom!
Prairie Voles: Although most rodents have a reputation
for promiscuity, prairie voles generally form pair-bonds occasionally lasting a
lifetime. They huddle and groom each
other, share nesting and pup-raising responsibility and greatly show a high
level of support behavior...akin somewhat to humans.
Turtle Doves: There's a reason they come in pairs of
two...The Turtle Days of Christmas. Their
emblems of love and faithfulness have even inspired Shakespeare, being the
subject of his poem...The Phoenix and the Turtle.
Schismatic Manson Worms:
(YUK!): These parasitic worms are
usually far more faithful than the humans they inhabit. They cause the disease
'Schismatics' also known as 'snail fever'.
When they reproduce within the human body, they form loyal, monogamous
pair-bonds lasting the entire cycle.
Bald Eagles (the national
emblem of US): When it comes to
maintaining relationships, they soar much higher than the country they
symbolize. Bald eagles typically mate
for life,,,except in the event of their partner's death or impotency...a number
far lower than America's
divorce rate now exceeding 50%.
A pair of bald eagles
last summer returned to nest in a high pine tree
in Cootes
Paradise...after almost complete extinction in Southern
Ontario.
Peregrine Falcons are a
wide-spread 'bird of prey'. They are the fastest members of the animal
kingdom. The highest measured flight
speed of these species is 389 kmh (242 mph).
Their breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the
tropics.
We have been
fortunate in having a few of these falcons nesting
in the Hamilton area and in the span of the Skyway Bridge.
Penguins: Such loveable seabirds! Recently I viewed a TV documentary about the
largest settlement in the world of these tuxedo-birds...amazed that it was a
sand and rock beach along Peru's coastline. Their nests are in the desert-like
sand; during the mating season, the male and female are monogamous...each
incubating the eggs, returning down steep rocky banks to the ocean to feed... protecting and raising their chicks with numerous challenges in the harsh environment...whether here or in
Antarctica.
With anticipation, we
await Madame X's new brood
atop the Sheraton
Hotel.
Merle
Baird-Kerr...written March 23, 2015
Your comments I
appreciate...email to:
Update: Lily Swoops in on MadameX and her
boy-toy...by Terviah Moro:
Lily is young, strong and
fertile. More so than Madame X, the
rival whose perch…she’s usurped atop the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel. She basically just showed up and hopped
in. This sudden changeover happened
around mid-March. Now Lily and partner
Ossie are starting a family at the Sheraton site. These peregrine falcons have at least three
eggs together.
The whereabouts of Madame X, who
turns 16 this year, are unknown. Lily, 5, took the older bird’s throne quickly,
but it seems she’d had her eye on it for a while. (There must have been a fight
of some sort. We just don’t know. And Madame X got the message and she left.)
Falconwatch would like to find
Madame X and take care of her during the time she has left. If she survives, Madame X, who is likely at
the tail end of her reproductive cycle, will spend her twilight years trying to
find shelter, food and perhaps warmth.
The first Peregrine Falcons were
first spotted in Hamilton in the mid 1990’s.
Now there’s the Sheraton pair and two at the Skyway Bridge. Last summer,
two more were spotted in upper Stoney Creek.
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