General Discussion : 2017 KestrelCam Discussion

Hello! Welcome to the 2017 KestrelCam season!

We're back with a great camera courtesy of Bosch, and a new streaming platform on Youtube. If you notice a problem with streaming, try refreshing the page and restarting the streams. If you have technical issues or any other kind of issue, please use the contact staff link to get assistance. Please feel free to report any spam or disrespect to AKP staff.

Remember to be respectful and courteous to other viewers, and enjoy the show!

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.

Click here to view this thread with the most recent comments on top!

-Delora Hilleary

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Jill from MN's picture

No food for the chicks from Mama.....  :.....(

Jill from MN's picture

A couple of the nestlings got big bites just now.   Still chirping as Mama tries to brood them.

 

TerriFla's picture

LOL camera's not offline. It's been squirted!

TerriFla's picture

ANother selection to add

The inside camera     "got squirted".

LOL

Jill from MN's picture

Oh, my, my, my.  I had a feeling this was going to happen.   Oh, those Kestrel Kids.

 

Delorahilleary's picture

Indeed! They did it right when I was leaving for the day, too! I'll clean it once I get in tomorrow.

Shauna's picture

I'm interested in this sort of transitional phase, where the chicks are so hungry they practically attack the parent who is trying to feed them...thus the parental change of behaviour from feeding to delivering.  Safer.

I'm also fascinated by how the chicks shove each other around trying to find THE perfect snuggling position (I'm assuming this is for warmth, very visible when no parent kestrels are in the box).

AND I'm fond of watching the chicks' clumsy preening techniques.  Those new feathers must be starting to itch.  Noticed the female contributing occasionally to their grooming.

Ok, better get back to my work, this is such an amazing way to get sidetracked.

Delorahilleary's picture

I'm glad you're enjoying it! This is a fun phase, isn't it? The nestlings are becoming alert and active, and beginning to behave like kestrels. It won't be long before they start to feed themselves!

Tugging on food like that is a great way to strengthen their neck muscles, I'm sure.

Jill from MN's picture

Shauna - how fascinating it is to see these tiny birds grow, you are so right.   I call this the elegant stage, once the back feathers start coming in.  I am also looking at their tails to see if I can't tell the birds' gender.   

It will be another milestone once the deliveries aren't beak fed and the little ones chow down by themselves, won't it?  Neat to see you chime in!

Delorahilleary's picture

It seems like overnight the scapular feathers on the nestlings just sprouted! Scapulars are the feathers on the shoulder of a bird, and they're quite visible now as black spotting. It won't be long before we can tell the sex of the nestlings!

Delorahilleary's picture

Actually, doing some careful watching...I believe I can see one male and one female at least. Those tails are tiny but they are starting to look distinctive.

Jill from MN's picture

It is sooooooo cute to see those tails wiggle, in true kestrel fashion!  All I have been able to tell so far is that at least two differ from one another.  I look forward to seeing the Kestrel Kids tonight.  Later, folks...  :)

Jill from MN's picture

That's the first time this year I have seen the little ones not huddled together but lolling beneath the ledge.   And there may be a little lady's tail....

Jill from MN's picture

One ravenous victorious Kestrel Kid mantling dinner at about 7:45 Boise time....   still trying to manage it for several minutes as of 7:54.

Finally sharing at 7:57.

 

Jill from MN's picture

I also see one episode of 'tweet' on the lens, and a possible female with her little tail in the air....

Jill from MN's picture

Two possible females.....

TerriFla's picture

Yes I see them also. great shot of them right now!

TerriFla's picture

and the one betweeen them looks like it could be male.

Delorahilleary's picture

I believe I see two males and two females....let's see if we have it right!
Sorry about the bit of "tweet" there, I'll clean it on Monday or sooner if it gets worse.

TerriFla's picture

DO you think they are feeding them all? I hardly ever see the one smaller get some food.

TerriFla's picture

I saw the smaller one get some food that time!

Nu-Sun Cinema's picture

To all our Kestrel Parnership Friends. We have been having some dificulty with our live stream and are asking for your help.

Click on our link to stream   http://www.nu-sun.com/html/2017_report.html   and let us know if is working properly as in not refreshing constantly or stopping & starting constantly.  This would be a great help to us. We would like to rectify any problems before the hatch starts, which could be on May 27/2017.

Thank you very much for your cooperation,  Nu-Sun Cinema

Shauna's picture

In spite the chicks' obliging tendancy to stay in a visible corner, two squirts are making it harder.  Sorry, Delora.

TerriFla's picture

and another bullseye squirt!

Delorahilleary's picture

Dangit, and here I was hoping the protective cone we put up there would help more! I'll try to drive up there today.

Shauna's picture

Thank you for cleaning things up!  Much better.

Shauna's picture

OK, that didn't last long.

TerriFla's picture

No momma in the box this morning.

TerriFla's picture

poop alert!

TerriFla's picture

OMG! It was your hand cleaning the camera! Thanks!

TerriFla's picture

Look at the chick fighting mom for the food!

Delorahilleary's picture

I noticed that too! Fiesty little male!

Jill from MN's picture

What I can see of these beautiful little chicks is that they are growing nicely.   Such wings in the making!

The tweet trajectory is off to the side and we do manage to see something....   (and necessity is the mother of invention!)   Delora, thanks so much again for all you do.

TerriFla's picture

oh look! One is trying to do jumping!!! So cute!

TerriFla's picture

It's hot there today isn't it? 87? Is that why they have thier mouths open?

Delorahilleary's picture

Yes, they are panting because it's hot, just like dogs do.

TerriFla's picture

I don't seem to have sound anymore?

Delorahilleary's picture

Indeed, our mic seems to have gone kaput. We plan on fiddling with the microphone while the chicks are being banded. Hopefully it didn't die entirely!

Jill from MN's picture

This is truly the first day I could describe the Kestrel Kids as standing upright.   Terri - I do notice the open beaks a lot.  So cute, but like you I hope it's not so hot that the chicks are uncomfortable.   If the comments are anything to go by they were being fed insects or rodents about once an hour today and I wonder if they're getting enough to eat.  No chow reports for nearly two hours.

As for the two bigger chicks, their little heads are at ledge level!

 

 

Jill from MN's picture

The female just peeked into the nest and left.....   9:10 Boise time.

Jill from MN's picture

Whew!  I can sleep tonight after all, the chicks were fed.

 

Jill from MN's picture

Da Gangsta Kessies got hardware today!   How did the banding go?  :)

TerriFla's picture

so? what's the scoop? male/female?

Delorahilleary's picture

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.

Delorahilleary's picture

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.

TerriFla's picture

That is so exciting to hear! Thanks!

Jill from MN's picture

I am delighted that this happened, just as you wished.  This is what bands are for.

 

Jill from MN's picture

(duplicate)

 

Shauna's picture

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.)

Jill from MN's picture

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?'

Posted in General Discussion by Delorahilleary 7 years 3 weeks ago.

 

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