More milestones

One of our chicks, Bali, took his first steps to the ledge.   I’m assuming Bali is a male and Marragaay a female, due to size difference, which, at this age, should be starting to be marked, although it is odd that he was such a slow developer as males usually develop more quickly as females (and often fledge first, sometimes when I don’t think they are ready…but what do I know!).

First trip to the ledge

VIDEO  20171102 1st trip to ledge

The other behaviour that is starting to occur more often now is the tugging of food, both between the chicks and between adult and chick.   As well as the tugging of Mum’s tail!

What happened to the sharing economy!

VIDEO  20171102 please share

Marragaay won this round, but Bali got fed shortly after by Diamond.  If there is insufficient prey, then the adults ensure that at least one chick will survive by focusing on the larger, more aggressive chick, but there should be plenty of prey around, and the juvenile starlings should start appearing in the diet soon (at least in Xavier’s clutch, Diamond is showing her usual disdain for these skinny pests).   Bali is definitely getting less than Marragaay, but he is quiet feisty and when there is a larger prey like a pigeon, he always gets plenty, so I think he’ll be okay.

And here it the tussle between chick and adults

VIDEO: 20171102 star tugged

Prey has included the usual starlings,pigeons, several eastern rosellas and other parrots, possible a superb parrot (threatened species) and many others that I haven’t been able to identify.  It certainly helps when the prey comes in intact, rather than headless, tailless, wingless and plucked!

11 thoughts

  1. Thank you, Cilla 🙂

    The “First trip to the ledge” video has been “opening” here for a while but now I see that it’s marked “failed”. I’m trying to save it instead of playing it now…

    Wow! I just heard my Jaksta (used for some other cams) boom out the completion of a download, and it turned out to be both of your videos having downloaded in the background via unintended means 🙂

    .
    I actually just popped in to post a portrait , one of our chicks conveniently froze for us 😉

    https://i.imgur.com/5Wy31VG.jpg
    .
    (I haven’t been thru the day yet.)

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  4. Incidentally, I thought that Bali was the more adventurous very early on, when ‘he’ used to trot from corner to corner while Marragaay was far more static.

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  5. Isn’t it incredible how quickly they are changing? Those speckly juvenile fronts seem to have appeared out of nowhere since yesterday! I just love them when they are gawky scruffy little beasties.

    Scylla, I’d thought, like you, that Bali was the quick-moving energetic one (like Xavier), while Marragaay sat blobbishly waiting for food or rolling and lumbering like a little Mr Creosote!

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  8. 9.30am Friday – just dropped by to have a look, and there is a parent gobbling prey, ignored by both offspring! Have I come in at the end of a feed, or is prey so plentiful that the chicks can afford to ignore it?

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  9. Chicks (almost juveniles!) are well fed this morning after a nice fat black and white bird with short bright pink legs, which I’m pretty sure was a rock pigeon, plus a probable rosella, so Diamond took the opportunity for well-earned feast. She does look a bit haggard!

    I don’t know about moderation. I think Scott has to do this as it’s his site. I get the email saying comments await moderation, and I’ve clicked on the link without getting anywhere. I’ll ask him.

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  10. Hi Cilla – please don’t ‘worry’ about the moderation thing, I only mentioned it in case the 2 vids suddenly got released after I posted them separately. I’m very forgetful.
    .
    Here’s a sweet few seconds – our bold younger eyas backed up and pooped out over the ledge beside Diamond, who had to shift a little.

    24s VIDEO == https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcptVcz595s

    Reply

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