First 2017-hatched peregrine chick video montage

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.

64 thoughts

  1. 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.

  2. 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?

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Thank you for the lovely video montage, SCOTT – so nice to have sound, the little one is quite vocal at times πŸ™‚

    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 πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€ ), how about Scramble for #2? Maybe Souffle (sooflay) for #3, or another egg dish? Benedict? πŸ˜€
    .

    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

  6. 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.”

  7. 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.

  8. Incidentally, I don’t know why you are not getting sound with my videos; when I play them back, I have sound.

  9. I’ve got sound on your hatch video, Cilla – lovely! πŸ™‚
    .
    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?

  10. 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?

  11. Cracked shell it was, and I’ve just stopped/restarted at a very inopportune moment, dang!

    HATCH #2 !!!

  12. 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

  13. 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.

  14. That should have said “wasps intruding”, in case you didn’t guess πŸ˜‰
    .
    “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

  15. 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

  16. 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…

  17. Moderators can delete my previous comment πŸ™‚

    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

  18. 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.

  19. 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!!! πŸ˜€

    There’s a few names for baby as well:

    gudha (might have it spelt wrong)
    Bali

  20. 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 πŸ˜€

    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.

  21. 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.

  22. I’m about to head off for a plane. Hopefully by the time I get home in 3.5hrs there will be another!

  23. 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

  24. 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)

  25. 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.

  26. 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?

  27. 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.

  28. 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!

  29. 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.

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