In a short space of time, and very hastily compiled, I’ve put together a 35-minute long video of the most interesting moments in the first hatchling’s first day for all to watch. From just an egg at one moment, to a beautiful, furry little bobble-head the next there’s new life up in the peregrine eyrie:
First hatchling for the 2017 season video clip (with audio where available)
We’re hoping for the best for the other 2 eggs now. It wasn’t an easy time for No.1 either as Diamond insisted on prioritising warmth over egg egress, constantly sitting over the chick while it struggled with the eggshell, but all’s well and the first feeds have already been witnessed. Xavier visited the maternity ward fairly quickly after the event and is proving to be very supportive.
I’m sure around 6:09:50pm you see Diamond throw a bit of shell to the back of the nest (you can see it). So hopefully a sign the next is arriving SOON.
OH maybe it was Xavier, think Diamond just turned up with food.
Haa, if we have Omelette will our next one be Hamlet cause we know eggs go great with Ham.
Would it be wrong to suggest Skillet? :O
Has Diamond turned cuckoo? I’ve never seen such batty behaviour. Maybe I was at work during the hatching phase last few years.. but is this spinning in circles and constant agitation normal?
Sorry for taking over, but all day Diamond has turned those eggs, tossed the little chick around or rolled the eggs so fast that the little chick is basically bowled over.
It’s frightening to watch. I wonder how the chick can survive and if the eggs are going to handle that kind of zealous turning. They’ll come out scrambelled.
When will she decide they aren’t viable? I see no pips, inspite of thinking I’d seen them before. Obviously just her own down stuck to them.
Just checked our girl before lights out. Chick is fine (tougher than they look; Swift used to trample them quite roughly), but still two eggs.
Thank you for the lovely video montage, SCOTT – so nice to have sound, the little one is quite vocal at times 🙂
I have emailed my IP addresses to Cilla.
.
DEBORAH – Don’t worry about “taking over” when you’re on your own, what else can you do to keep us updated?
I love your name suggestions (tho I think that Skillet is a tad insensitive 😀 😀 ), how about Scramble for #2? Maybe Souffle (sooflay) for #3, or another egg dish? Benedict? 😀
.
During my UK night Deborah alerted us to that pesky wasp bothering Diamond yet again.
“Samples of Diamond’s reaction to wasp intrusion”
1m49s VIDEO = youtube.com/watch?v=K2LFhqpK9kM
Snap – she’s got a feather on her beak:
i.imgur.com/W6OqnNR.png
Re incubating ‘infertile’ eggs – I’ve googled it but obviously not used the precise terms req’d for a relevant answer. However, I did find this, which is lovely:
“This particular pair of Peregrines laid 2 lots of eggs last season, both infertile. The 2nd lot of infertile eggs were exchanged with a pair of 7 day old Kestrels, which they raised wonderfully.”
Maybe that is why the kestrel was hanging about? Looking to adopt out her pesky babies?
0848 h and still two eggs. She won’t give up on them yet, but it is way outside the norm for incubation for Aus. peregrine eggs.
Incidentally, I don’t know why you are not getting sound with my videos; when I play them back, I have sound.
I’ve got sound on your hatch video, Cilla – lovely! 🙂
.
I thought I’d do a catchup video of the morning (after a long nap here)… but I can’t find Xavier’s early-morning visit and have recently been inundated with ins ‘n outs, lol, so it will be quite a task if I take the plunge.
.
At 07:57hr Xavier brought decent-sized prey (starling?) but had to take it away again as there were no takers.
i.imgur.com/Ho9ydRM.png
.
Does it seem likely that the only egg to hatch was #2 or #3?
It’s like she knows .. She keeps turning and hoping. How sad. I watched a video of a peregrine mother opening an egg with dead chick. You could see her sadness.
I’d prefer they weren’t fertile than see a dead baby
What are the chances for a second clutch over summer?
Prey-drop!
What a lovely video Scott – thank you!
A 4-minute feed, a little left over to stash in the far front corner.
3m41s VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxwSQf6mpHc
I’ve left the https in, it it’s still being blocked I’ll post the video again without it.
More than one WASP now :'(
I’m imagining a cracked shell amid the wasp worry, but haven’t had a clear enough sighting yet.
Cracked shell it was, and I’ve just stopped/restarted at a very inopportune moment, dang!
HATCH #2 !!!
And a prey-drop, to boot!
The cracked shell:
https://i.imgur.com/IbW9MiA.jpg
Dad has a look:
https://i.imgur.com/RvDitj3.jpg
Eyas #2 bobbling as required 😉
https://i.imgur.com/b6irpwi.jpg
In front of that last snap should have been these two, but they’re awaiting moderation – obviously because more than one hyperlink.
Therefore, please C&P into browser address bar.
=========
And a prey-drop, to boot!
The cracked shell:
i.imgur.com/IbW9MiA.jpg
Dad has a look:
i.imgur.com/RvDitj3.jpg
YAY, another one at last! I was starting to lose hope…
Oh thank goodness
“Anxiety over wasps intruder, hatch #2 going on underneath”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzYffWMrisg
Hooray! Looking forward to #3, and so glad Diamond did the incubating in view this year. It is interesting how she eats the egg membrane and perhaps some of the shell. Waste not want not.
That should have said “wasps intruding”, in case you didn’t guess 😉
.
“Diamond, Xavier, 2 eyases, food, wasps, all’s well so far” – lots going on, including Xavier doing rather well at incubating, I thought.
Scuse the lack of fade transitions beginning and end – I had a crash and lost my mind.
.
7m17s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzYffWMrisg
3:34:50ish … let’s play soccer with the chicks!!
Should have said 3:43PM
And thanks for all the video and images. I broke my glasses (on holidays!) so have been getting a new pair this morning. It’s good to see the happenings of when I was away (missed the new hatch by mere minutes!)
So unofficially Omelette & Scramble? I like Scramble .. maybe the last one is Flip (as in flipping took a while to get here .. and you’ve been flipped a thousand times you’re past being scrambled) lol
Scylla, I’m not certain that they are wasps. I think they may be bees. Aussie wasps look more like what my mum used to call ‘horse flies’ when I was little. The first time I saw a bee in Oz I freaked out, thinking it was a wasp. I was used to fat English bumblebees…
are there 3 now?
I got a bit confused between all the wings and bottoms! Here we go .. two hungry bobbleheads.
https://screenshots.firefox.com/OXgjLqbptsN2dUHL/www.csu.edu.au
AND you’ll notice a stinky fly on Diamond’s leg
https://screenshots.firefoxusercontent.com/images/3410d5d2-38cc-4628-b2cc-9064cf506d72.png
Moderators can delete my previous comment 🙂
I got a bit confused between all the wings and bottoms! Here we go .. two hungry bobbleheads.
screenshots.firefox.com/OXgjLqbptsN2dUHL/www.csu.edu.au
AND you’ll notice a stinky fly on Diamond’s leg
screenshots.firefoxusercontent.com/images/3410d5d2-38cc-4628-b2cc-9064cf506d72.png
Good news re no. 2. I’ll start new thread when I’ve caught up, which might not be until tomorrow as other things are getting in my way. I usually involve the uni staff with name selection and, although I like the eggy nomenclature, I’m also looking into some Wiradjuri names eg Friend = Mudyi; First born = Marragaay etc. I’ll put up a proper list in new thread.
Wiradjuri names are perfect!
Mullbirang (need to check spelling)=bird
Birrabang=above
Bubu=air
Barray=fast
Murungarra (for number 3 if they make it)=alive (also very much like my place Murrumburrah!!! 😀
There’s a few names for baby as well:
gudha (might have it spelt wrong)
Bali
SUE – Thanks for the info re Oz wasps. I actually almost typed wasp/bee, it did look similar to the American honey bees I see on the Starr Ranch cams.
I don’t blame you for thinking there might be 3, Deborah, and I meant to mention it earlier but got in rather a state over tech probs here. There’s little definition between heir fluffy little bodies 😀
Re naming – I wouldn’t dream of suggesting permanent names – where I come from (ospreyland) we often give chicks temporary names that get discarded when the official names are announced, usually at ringing.
Have to go (I have a hot date with Mozart); at just before 7 pm, I could see 2 chicks and 1 egg.
It’s getting a bit dark. I would have thought the IR camera would be on by now.
We have light!
Almost up-to-date egg status (apparently intact, in case you can’t see pic):
https://i.imgur.com/uOVsDeu.jpg
Xavier’s arrival was celebrated by a freeze 😉
Is that a hole I see in egg #3, or just wishful thinking on my part? 6.29am
Xavier (I think) has been toying with the half eggshell from the first hatch (I think).
Anyway, I’ll eventually post a vid and you can see what you think – it will take a while.
Sue, I’m sure it’s a hole. I came to say the same thing!
DEFINITELY A HOLE!!
https://screenshots.firefoxusercontent.com/images/ef83b401-dbab-4982-a3ba-a459c5bf2e97.png
Yes, definitely a hole. Now let’s hope something alive is inside it trying to get out!!!
I’m about to head off for a plane. Hopefully by the time I get home in 3.5hrs there will be another!
Huh! Well I’ve been poring over the footage with great dedication and haven’t noticed the hole, that should be a warning to you about my reliability ;-D
.
“Prey-drop 0628hr, changeover-1, changeover-2, feed unseen”
3m21s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1jGxRX8DRg
Prospective hole:
https://i.imgur.com/JGzjybX.jpg
Diamond giving glimpses:
(C&P link for this one, I won’t try more than one hyperlink yet.)
52s VIDEO = youtube.com/watch?v=Qq72bWcopWU
From the above video – an incontrovertible HOLE!
https://i.imgur.com/1eSqLKX.jpg
No hole seen during this brief exposure:
15s VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ROM0cDL79I
.
I’m taking a break now, hope the cams keep rolling for catchup later 🙂
From Scylla’s youtube video (youtube.com/watch?v=c1jGxRX8DRg) it looks like the little one is having a bit of X’s tail at 1.21pm .. thinking it was dinner? lol
12:31PM big crack in third egg.
Oh it’s getting close. I’m guessing 3pm and we’ll have another chick. (Ok maybe 4pm but since I’m about to dash out I reckon it will happen while I’m not looking hee hee)
I’m back 4:27pm and view of egg .. still intact but hole bigger. I’m a poor guesser!!
5:13PM (Diamond absent) you can see the little one moving in the egg.
One of the bobbleheads seems to have a patch of black. I was trying to look but Diamond just reappeared.
Hmmm, still an egg. It must be a bit “overcooked” by now, surely…
It’s name is Fried 😀
Even if this one was the last to arrive I think it must be about 37 days now. How long can they stay viable, I wonder?
They start trying to crack through when they run out of yolk. As long as they can get air I guess the egg cracking could go for a while if they have the energy. I’m no expert on these things.
Maybe they are writing new understanding for the scientists.
5.55pm – one of those times I wish we had sound. It looks as if the adult is keening. Drat, gotta run. Wish I could sit and watch this all evening!
Some extraordinary behaviour from both Xavier and Diamond pecking at and rolling the egg presumably in an effort to get the chick out. I’ll start new thread with this video in a short while.
It’s hard to see an egg with the IR light.