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This view of the 2017 Bosch KestrelCams discussion is ordered with the newest comments at the top. The main discussion page is located at http://hub.peregrinefund.org/kestrelcams-2017-discussion
she almost looked like she
she almost looked like she was going to hop on the ledge a while ago.
Little Miss Happy Flight has
Little Miss Happy Flight has been flapping her wings at about 12:09-12:12 Boise time.
I saw that, too. I thought
I saw that, too. I thought they might be trying to toast up on the sunny side of the box! :)
Thank you for the link. Very
(Addressed to Nu-Sun Cinema) Thank you for the link. Very nice quality live image! After a quick scan, I couldn't really find the location of your nestbox...somewhere in Canada?
They are all looking out the
They are all looking out the side window!
I think our kestrels are in
I think our kestrels are in sync! Our first egg hatched 5/25 and the second one yesterday (5/26)! We are so excited, as this is our first one ever! (after 3 years with the box...). We have 2 more eggs that I'm hoping are viable and hatch soon, too. Best to you!
Dang! They grew more feathers
Dang! They grew more feathers overnight!
First egg hatched
May 26/2017 first egg hatched approximatly 11:30am link to live stream.
http://www.nu-sun.com/html/2017_report.html
Mama Kestrel keeps coming
Mama Kestrel keeps coming back to the box and at least peeking into the hole. I don't honestly know that she is dropping things off... About 6:30-6:40 Boise time.
Lots of wing flapping going
Lots of wing flapping going on!
Sometimes I feel like if I
Sometimes I feel like if I watch long enough, I can see their feathers growing....haha!
Wow they seem to change
Wow they seem to change overnight!
More signs to look for - baby
More signs to look for - baby fluff gone completely, color on their heads, eating deliveries with no help, peeking over the ledge, hopping onto the ledge, looking out, sticking head out of the cavity....
The chicks are preening,
The chicks are preening, flapping their little wings, getting color on top of their heads... and the unhatched egg is still in the box, unbroken. It's quite an indicator of what can happen in just a few weeks, though it is sad.
All very fascinating, thanks
All very fascinating, thanks for the quick answers!
Don't worry about being
Don't worry about being curious, Shauna! We're here to answer questions :)
Banding is usually pretty
Banding is usually pretty quick - about twenty minutes to do all the measurements and get the bands on all of the nestlings is pretty normal. The banding for our kestrels was a little longer, as we invited some folks to come watch the process and we answered questions.
How the adult birds react is fairly similar to how they react to me going up to clean the lens, and it varies from pair to pair. Last year, the female was quite aggressive and dive-bombed those who approached the nest box. This year, the female flees the premesis entirely. Things settle down once the nestlings are placed back in the nest box, and the female returned with food not long after.
When banding our nesltings, the adults could not see the process because we took the nestlings inside to show our guests. Oftentimes, however, the banding is done right there in the field, so presumably the adult birds could see it. Again, adult reactions vary from pair to pair.
Banding adult birds is easiest when they are sitting on eggs. The way it's often done is to approach the nest box quietly, then plug the hole - then one can snag the adult sitting inside, do the banding, put them back inside, and then open up the hole again. There is also techniques to mist-net raptors using live mice bait or other such traps, utilized when the adults are not incubating.
You know, Shauna, those are
You know, Shauna, those are great questions.... I hope to ask my local Raptor Center if they are sending feather DNA samples to the Genoscape Project, because they have had 5 kestrel patients this year.
I wonder if there are lots of 'contact calls' made by the parents while their chicks are being banded.... 'Kill-eee! killee, killee... Kill-ee?'
Questions: What is the ideal
Questions: What is the ideal chick age for banding those nestlings (scratch this one, just read webcam update)? How long does the banding process last? How do the adult birds react when you take the chicks out of the box, and when you band them? Can they see the process? Also, how do you go about banding adult birds? Do you have a special adult kestrel banding trap?
(A little over-curious here.)
I am delighted that this
(duplicate)
I am delighted that this
I am delighted that this happened, just as you wished. This is what bands are for.
The kids in my class were so
The kids in my class were so excited to see the cameras offline today because I had told them what was happening! They all rused over when they came back online to see if they could spot the bands!
That is so exciting to hear!
That is so exciting to hear! Thanks!
Another neat thing:
Another neat thing:
A few days ago, we also captured the adult female and got her band number! We discovered she was caught and banded in 2016 as a breeder 5.5 miles away! So this is not the first batch of nestlings this female raised.
We have three females and one
We have three females and one male! So I wasn't just imagining things when I thought I saw a male before ;)
All four seem to be in good condition with little fat deposits, despite the 2-day age difference between the oldest and youngest.