Happily we have a second hatchling at 0535 h on 5th October. The nestling is healthy and strong and has fed well. It has a mark above its eye, possibly an injury during the lengthy hatching process. But it doesn’t seem to have any effect on its functions.
You might notice that both nestlings are not always fed equally. There is a good reason for this. The parent is not interested in ‘fairness’ but pragmatism. If prey is scarce, she wants to ensure that at least one offspring survives, so will often just feed the most insistent open beak. Fortunately, prey is abundant at this site, so the smaller nestlings always get fed eventually. We have never experienced the loss of a nestling due to starvation in 16 years.
Here is a video showing the highlights of the second hatch day: