After the departure of Girri in late March, there is a quiet period when the adults hunt, feed and rest. Gimbir had been trying to sleep in the box, and has got away with it a couple of times, but if Diamond is there, she usually pushes him out (quite literally, in this case) a few days ago:
Gimbir had only an extremely short courtship period with Diamond before the egg-laying in September, so it will be interesting to see how he manages this winter.
Night hunting seems to have stopped for now. Most of their catches are of quails and grebes, with occasional lapwing, flying overhead, not being flushed from grassland or water as they would be during the day. It’s a pity I can’t get more specific prey identifications at night.
Gifts of prey are normally brought during July and August, but seem to have started already, with several prey brought to the box and stashed where Diamond would find them. One was a starling, which Diamond (as is her wont) studiously ignored. This ended up on the white antenna and did eventually get consumed over the next few days. Would have been a bit ripe by then! He needs to learn that starlings are not Diamond’s favourite food!
I expect mating to start any day now. In 2024 it started on May 23rd and in 2025 a few days later. At this time of year, mating is brief, just 5 or 6 seconds, but this will increase to up to 18 seconds in August – and up to 14 times a day.