Hello! Welcome to the 2017 KestrelCam season!
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Stay on the lookout for live chats this year, every Tuesday and Thursday at noon MST. I'll be chatting with everyone to answer any and all questions.
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-Delora Hilleary
Comments:
One egg to the side of the
One egg to the side of the rest. is that number 5???
Now she's pushed it under her
Now she's pushed it under her.
I saw four earlier but she
I saw four earlier but she hasn't budged in a long while. We shall see :)
Visual confirmation of 5 eggs
Visual confirmation of 5 eggs!!!!
A few minutes ago the female
A few minutes ago the female kestrel stepped aside the 5(!) eggs, ate the rodent that the male delivered about three hours ago, and then went back to incubating the eggs.
Five eggs! Hoooray! You guys
Five eggs! Hoooray! You guys beat me to it :D
On an otherwise quiet morning
On an otherwise quiet morning in the 'maternity ward', it looks like Mama Kestrel seems to have a deep down itch just below the wing surface and her head goes back and forth deep down. This could even be in her sleep, and has been going on for at least a few minutes and it's just before 9:00 Boise time.
Our handsome little male sits
Our handsome little male sits calmly atop those little treasures. It snowed here in Minnesota a few days ago and I wondered about birds here coping with the regression to the cold, but if they are anything like our lovely resilient little family they will pick up where they left off.
I always love peeking in. Thanks again for all you do.
I find it rather relaxing to
I find it rather relaxing to peek in on the pair incubating. I wish I could nap like that right now, haha. Looks like they're being quite diligent now :)
Thanks for the kind words!
Good morning, folks! I
Good morning, folks! I noticed that when the female came back to the box just now and got back on the eggs, she was breathing hard for a while there. (Twilight setting in the box yet)
SNOW again. come on Boise it
SNOW again. come on Boise it's spring!!!
I can't believe it's snowing
I can't believe it's snowing again. I thought the forecast would be lying. What is this spring!? Hahaha.
Yes, but that little female
Yes, but that little female is pretty snugly settled on the eggs. Hope it isn't too cold there? Because cold plus snow isn't great. It looks windy.
crud, it's coming the box
crud, it's coming the box again. Stupid snow.
OMG I can't stand watching
OMG I can't stand watching this snow, can't you go cover it up with a nice warm blanket? :)
Ah, my precious little
Ah, my precious little trooper!!!!! I was watching an eagle cam based here a month ago as the parent bird sat patiently on eggs while snow was in the nest. Our mama Kestrel is made of the same stuff... <3
This Florida gal is so
This Florida gal is so worried. :)
Mama Kestrel looking like her
Mama Kestrel looking like her pretty little self. Weather looks great. Hatch day around May 7, right?
The last egg was laid on
The last egg was laid on April 8th, and then full incubation appeared to begin then. With incubation going for 27-31 days typically, May 7 or 8 is a great guess :)
May 8th....my birthday!!!
May 8th....my birthday!!! What a cool present that would be!
Eggs for my birthday,
Eggs for my birthday, hatchlings for yours? Haha. *high five*
:)
:)
Male kestrel looks very alert
Male kestrel looks very alert as he sits on the eggs at just about 12:00 PM Boise time. Could be listening for something
Wonder if the Kestrel Kids
Wonder if the Kestrel Kids will fledge for mine? I was born on the ides of June.... :)
Dad Kestrel asleep on top of
Dad Kestrel asleep on top of the eggs, breathing hard, around 9:30 Boise time.
Just saw the male kestrel
Just saw the male kestrel jump off the eggs, flap his wings a moment and put his head in the corner, then get back on the eggs again.
This stint I see the male
This stint I see the male looking up at the camera a lot. Since it is a very windy day I wonder if some motor makes noise when the camera focus has to readjust. Very observant bird today.
raining in Boise, our Mama
raining in Boise, our Mama Kestrel is getting wet but she's faithful! 8:49 Boise time
No body in the chat today and
No body in the chat today and I had a good question. Maybe Thursday!
That was my bad, sorry! I
That was my bad, sorry! I thought I'd clicked it on, but I'd accidentally double-clicked. Woops! Next time :)
Observations I wish I had a
Observations I wish I had a big block of time to make:
1. How often a food delivery is made while the eggs are being incubated rather than after the eggs are hatched
2. Any hints of a Circadian rhythm of when the two birds hand off the eggs to each other: your turn to go hunt and eat/my turn to go hunt and eat
3. Any time the kestrel couple spend in the nest together and what happens
Dad Kestrel looked at the cam
Dad Kestrel looked at the cam, went killying for a bit, jumped off the eggs then got back on. Second time I saw him do that. About 6:31 Boise time. He sure looks at the cam a lot....
I've been musing over
I've been musing over possible reasons they look at the cam. Ours do that, too. Maybe there is a tiny but perceptible hum from the camera. There must be something to draw their notice, and the only thing I can guess is some kind of sound. Your guess is as good as mine! --Laura
I wonder if it's them seeing
I wonder if it's them seeing the movement of their reflection, perhaps. They're highly visual animals, so I wouldn't be surprised if seeing something move on the cam surface catches their attention for a moment.
Oh! That's a good thought,
Oh! That's a good thought, too! Although, come to think of it, I'm not sure how much of ours they can see--it's mounted behind a hole in a separate housing that protects it from rain and desert heat. Maybe light bounces off it periodically. I'll have to see if there is any correlation with time of day. :)
Delora, is the camera in a
Delora, is the camera in a different spot this year in order to avoid a soiled lens? The reflection could be more distracting this year than last or in past years.
The camera is in the same
The camera is in the same place as last year, however we did cover some of the outside of it with a cone of plastic to prevent soiling. Perhaps the cone is interesting to look at, or makes for an odd shadow? Hard to say. Hopefully I won't have to bother them as much this year to clean the lens, however!
LOL you were up there every
LOL you were up there every day for a while! Little squirters.
I hear a Kestrel Kid!!!!!!!1
I hear a Kestrel Kid!!!!!!!1
TWO Kestrel Kids!
TWO Kestrel Kids!
THE KESTREL NESTLINGS HAVE
THE KESTREL NESTLINGS HAVE ARRIVED WOOO! Two indeed! :D
Yes, it's two Kestrel Kids.
Yes, it's two Kestrel Kids. One just very recently hatched. I am crying for joy.
There are 6 eggs? When did
There are 6 eggs? When did that happen?
Are there 6 eggs or is that
Are there 6 eggs or is that just part of a hatched egg?
Babies!!!! My class will be
Babies!!!! My class will be so excited!!! Me too!!
OK it turned over, it's just
OK it turned over, it's just a shell. Dang I thought I missed something there.
Yup! Just shells scattered
Yup! Just shells scattered about after hatching!
Don't worry if you missed any of the hatching or first feedings - I recorded video for everyone! I'll work on putting it together tomorrow :)
Dad Kestrel keeps looking
Dad Kestrel keeps looking into the box. It's like the parents are so excited they hardly stay still.
Mama Kestrel needs to solve a
Mama Kestrel needs to solve a problem about 8:21 Boise time. Her two hatchlings are widely separated: how to keep them both warm now?
The further away of the
The further away of the hatchlings is starting to straighten up and stretch wings in the absence of a parent. Growing up already.....