Who is this thief

I’ve just got in from our tree-planting and notice a bird pinching a small lump of prey from a very relaxed Diamond, who was feeding her chicks, but this didn’t look like Xavier, or even like a male, unless my eyes are starting to play up, as he/she seems to be the same size.

This was actually on Thursday 13th at 1632 ish.    Now Xavier is taller than Bula, I admit, but this does seem to be a big bird.  When it was sitting on the ledge, I was sure it was a female!    Pity the light inside the box is so bad.   But I can’t believe she would let a strange bird near her chicks, so I must be wrong. And seems typical of X.

Did anyone else notice anything odd?

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10 thoughts

  1. Relax. I just checked the nest cam stills and it’s definitely him; much better pictures from the nest cam. He’s really quite a large male, however.

    She’s very tolerant, isn’t she??

  2. ONE WANDERS
    October 15, 2016 Shepnotes
    FINALLY! The chicks show interest in leaving their corner!
    I bet the first wanderer is a male!
    7.10 pm One chick wingercizing
    They have been alone since I clicked in.
    Oz sunset before USA dawn!
    *yawn

    Xavier looks larger when he sits on ledge facing out.

  3. Here’s the ledge view of Cilla’s ‘incident’ – I haven’t got the nest view as that’s recording on a netbook with a small hard drive so I have to delete history frequently.

    Diamond didn’t seem at all bothered, carried on feeding and settled on chicks.

    1m45s VIDEO = youtube.com/watch?v=fOtDwMEbYKA

    Xavier is on the ledge now, he just had a big wing-stretch.

  4. Just as I posted last time, Diamond got up and left, Xavier stayed on the ledge. Now Diamond has just brought prey – am just trying to do a ‘this is what happened’ vid from wake-up time.

    Chicks look lively, especially two of them.

  5. Wake-up, Diamond fetches a nice early breakfast – she was only gone 20 minutes, do you think this is from cache?

    Xavier is perfectly lazy… but loyal 😉 Chicks lively, #3 perks up when food arrives.

    2m22s VIDEO = youtube.com/watch?v=v4zZE8Q3-Zo

    This is the whole feed, so you can see how each chick got on – except, sorry, about 3 minutes missing from end due to freeze :'( (??? I may get more freezes than some of you, if my weak netbook isn’t coping.)

    14m49s VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tucA0fsLkZU

    SNAPS:

    All 3 ready!

    i.imgur.com/MsMAMt3.jpg

    One dominant throughout (but I couldn’t watch every minute), I hope there’s more foodies soon.

    i.imgur.com/PRYNbFc.jpg

    What’s Xavier up to?!!! A bit of a belly-scrape in the nestcup area 😮

    30s VIDEO = youtube.com/watch?v=6Gk88Ul_vZA

  6. Unless you knew the chicks were there with their heads down (sleeping off breakfast, tops of heads barely visible) you might think the whole place was empty. No-one on the ledge either.

  7. scylla – I call that belly-scrape- swimming.
    Adults both do that. I think its nesting behavior,
    but maybe its just cleaning prey off their feathers. 😀

  8. Hi Shep! I was a teeny bit concerned that Xavier was making a bed for his very own babies, and that he might have plans to clear the home for them – even if he’s not yet conscious of those plans. One does like to envisage the worst outcomes, heehee.

    Chicks have been ‘uncovered’ for a long time again, someone is on the ledge but I can’t tell who.

  9. Both adult birds prepare a scrape. Bula was very active in that respect, but Diamond made the ‘finishing touches’ and then, annoyingly went and moved the hatching chicks into the corner!

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