Patti.....Thanks for the sad but, tasteful close to this nest.

I am so sorry to discover another tragic episode in the life of the birds we so admire.
I hope the link will come out. I took it off facebook. I am not sure how to copy video links unless they are on youtube.
Perhaps this will help bring some comfort, knowing this nest of Coopers is thriving.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152524368164216

Alta asked me to reach out to some with knowledge of Black flies on the Whooping Crane site.

Here is a reply: Sharon, if it's a large emergence and huge numbers or swarms of black flies, it is possible that young hatchings can perish as a result of being bitten. I don't know if this is the case at the CHK nest and I don't think death would be quick but I could be wrong on that aspect.

Today I was called in to work; I deliver raw milk to stores for a local dairy. As I drove out, I thought about our little angels and what music would be perfect for this time of grieving.What came to mind was Fauré's Requiem, so light and so poignant. On the return trip I happened to tune away from NPR just in time to catch all of the In Paradisum, the last movement. It had me in tears, of course. Here's a link to it. http://youtu.be/6-i1ESIRKdA

Alta

Regarding figuring out what caused the failure of this nest, I have been very disappointed by the lack of response from the owner's of the nest cam, Saskatchewan Science Centre. You may think I'm ungrateful and shouldn't say things like this, but I'm not. It's just that I find it unprofessional the way they handled it... just my honest opinion.

Stephen Noftall is the one who made R4 and I mods of the chat last year and he was always our point of contact with them. It says "Exhibit Maintenance" on his signature this year. Last year it was "Project Manager, Exhibit Development." I emailed him on June 28 and on July 4 with no reply to either. On July 8, I received this reply from Ryan Holota, their Manager, Marketing and Communications. "We have been unable to determine an exact cause of death. It’s sad. Thanks for following along, hopefully we can do it again next year." That's it.

I asked for an opinion from Jared Clarke, the ornithologist that chatted with us about the nest and banded the chicks last year. In the email Patti received (above), it says "The naturalist is going over the footage to try and determine what happened." Was Jared that naturalist, and if so, what are his thoughts? We don't know. I also asked for the opinion of any entomologist they may use for consult, with no response to that request either.

Today SClakegal emailed this article link to me. http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/hom.../266267681.html

Here are the relevant highlights of the article. "Common loons have joined whooping cranes as iconic birds under attack by black flies this year. The problem is historic, but worse this year than most, involving other bird species as well. Loons and cranes make news when they abandon their nests because both species have volunteer observers paying attention. Other bird species suffer as well, only without the sympathetic observation. Bluebirds can be hit hard. Numerous fly bites can produce toxic shock in bluebird chicks. Red-tailed hawk chicks have reportedly jumped from nests because of attacks by black flies."

SClakegal also told me about an osprey chick in Chaska, MN, that jumped to its death due to the black flies on July 5. This is the nest cam, but the nest is empty now. http://arboretum.umn.edu/ospreycam.aspx Chaska, MN, is about 700 miles southeast of this nest in Regina. Remember R4 saw one of these chicks almost jump from the nest the day they were attacked.

I decided to contact the author of the article I sent to Alta. I thought perhaps he could shed some light on the situation that was observed at the nest. Below is his rely:

The description of chick behavior recorded on post 32 is very close to what was observed, by camera, with Osprey chicks here. They were being tormented by black flies. This is an incredible year for them here, our heavy and continuing rain making conditions perfect for huge fly numbers. I think the young hawks were suffering from fly bites. Any bird weakened by birth order or sibling abuse would be more likely to succumb to fly bites. Healthy birds, chicks in particular, also died here if bites were numerous enough.

The entire fly situation is fascinating even as it is tragic. Thanks for sharing.

Jim Williams
birding blog at www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/blogs/Wingnut.html