Saturday, April 26, 2008
Terminal Tower: 4th hatch
Early this morning the 4th eyas hatched and makes this clutch a succesful one. Buckeye and SW are busy feeding their hatchlings who are doing fine. The last eyas did not participate in the early morning feeding because it just hatched. But the next one it was present and begged as it should. Buckeye and SW are a very succesful breeding pair and have raised and fledged many juvi's. So I'm sure these 4 will be the next juvi's who will fledge from the Terminal Tower.
De Mortel: 4 eyases doing fine
The 4 sweeties in De Mortel are doing fine. They are very well been taken care off by Pa and his young female S2. She is stuffing her hatchlings with all kinds of delicious lean meat. The pigeons wait there turn patiently on the roof of the nestbox to be served to the kids.....
There was a lot of airtraffic today around the tower: many pigeons and other birds. They appear on the bui-campics requently
James River Bridge: 18 days old
Look at this sweetie enjoying the afternoon sunshine. It is a beautiful picture.
Rome: 18 days old
Those two eyases are getting fatter every day. And a good thing that is. So much energy is needed for the feathers to grow. And the big flightmuscles need a lot of energy as well to grow and become strong enough to carry them when fledging and bring them back up again. So they look really fat, but in this case that is a very good thing!
Richmond: the day after
Yesterday we saw how the first hatchling laid dead in the nestbox. Harriet was picking in the second egg and removed it. Something was very wrong!
The third egg appeared to have a little hole in it, but it was by no way a pip. Throigh the hole the content appeared to be dead and decomposing blackish. We all could see the tress the female was under, she was panting and looking very aggitated.
Harriet removed the third egg as well
When the night was setting in there was one egg left with a pip. We all hoped and prayed this one would be viable. But when daybreak came, the nestbox was empty. No peregrines, and no eggs. And in front of the nestbox there where a lot of eggshells.
Silent witnesses of the tragedy thet had occured here.
The whole clutch has been lost. But why?
In my Blogentry of yesterday I wrote about that.
Besides an infection, there might be another possibility in a new enviromental threat: Deca-BDE. It has been found in emormous quantities in peregrine falcon eggs already. It causes severe braindamage in embryo's. Concentrations of PBDE congeners in wild birds may alter thyroid hormone and vitamin A concentrations, glutathione metabolism and oxidative stress.
This morning eggshell fragments and a sample of the gravel from the scrape were retrieved for lab analysis.
We all hope both peregrines will relax and get overf this stressful tragedy. And I'm sure they will prevail. Start courtship again and lay a second clutch. Last year Harriet started her first clutch not before May 22. So there is still time.
The third egg appeared to have a little hole in it, but it was by no way a pip. Throigh the hole the content appeared to be dead and decomposing blackish. We all could see the tress the female was under, she was panting and looking very aggitated.
Harriet removed the third egg as well
When the night was setting in there was one egg left with a pip. We all hoped and prayed this one would be viable. But when daybreak came, the nestbox was empty. No peregrines, and no eggs. And in front of the nestbox there where a lot of eggshells.
Silent witnesses of the tragedy thet had occured here.
The whole clutch has been lost. But why?
In my Blogentry of yesterday I wrote about that.
Besides an infection, there might be another possibility in a new enviromental threat: Deca-BDE. It has been found in emormous quantities in peregrine falcon eggs already. It causes severe braindamage in embryo's. Concentrations of PBDE congeners in wild birds may alter thyroid hormone and vitamin A concentrations, glutathione metabolism and oxidative stress.
This morning eggshell fragments and a sample of the gravel from the scrape were retrieved for lab analysis.
We all hope both peregrines will relax and get overf this stressful tragedy. And I'm sure they will prevail. Start courtship again and lay a second clutch. Last year Harriet started her first clutch not before May 22. So there is still time.
Zwolle: second pip
I have received many questions about feeding behaviour after hatching. There is no distinct behaviour. One thing is for sure: there is no need to worry! Feeding always starts!
Feeding is an instinct, one of the most strong ones there is. When an eyas is begging and spreads it's little mout open is enough to get the feeding behaviour going. This behaviour is triggered by the hormones prolactine and progesteron. The same ones make birds start incubating and have a broodpatch. One thing goes with the other ones.
Just before pipping the eggshell, the rest yolk is been sucked up by the cloaca of the hatchling. That is a lot of yolk coming in to the intestants of the eyas. Enough to keep the little thing well fed for 48 hours. This is done because in those 48 hours the other eyases will hatch as well. And the parents will not leave the nest when that happens. The female will refuse food while hatching is going on. So the first and second born may have to do it with their yolksupply until feeding commences. And it always does.
As soon as the parent moves or stands up the eyases by instinct start to scream and beg. This is not an emotion, but an instinct. Please keep the difference in mind.
Couples who had several nests start feeding much sooner because they are experiencend and have breeded together much longer. So the female will allow the male much more responsabilities besides catching prey
Indianapolis: still 3 hatchlings
There was just a a glimpse of the last egg on Saturday morning about 9:30 under KathyQ's protective wing along with the little faces of the new babies. So it hasn't hatched yet. The 3 eyases are donig fine and are being offered prey frequently, even at night.
Heidelberg: 13 days old
A few days ago on April 23 bilogists from the Heidelberg scrape have removed the non-hatched egg to test why it has not hatched.
Eemsmond: something wrong
What is wrong here. The hatchdate was April 24. In the incubationperiod there where no problems. The eggs where never left alone for a long period. Still no pip, let alone a hatch. Are the eggs not viable? The incubation period can be extended to as long as 35-37days when there is a plausible explination. And there is none. So we just have to wait and see.
Florence: 6 days old
My very own little eyas..... The first born will be named Ariosto/Ariosta. A name which I'm so very honered to give to this little Italian Sweetie. It is doing very well together with his sibling. No further brothers and sisters. It looks like in the Italian scrapes only 2 eggs will hatch.
De Mortel: everything is going great!
Two very proud parents taking very good care of their 4 hatchlings. The last one to hatch is quite small, but S2 feeds this little one with extra care. What a gal she is! In the meantime she turns out quite messy with left over prey items leaving complete pigeons next to the scrape. Even almost brooding it. She keeps on bringing a big smile to my face this fantastic falcon from Belgium now so very Dutch.
Brighton Sussex Heights: hatching in progress
Well they both wher every restless today. Hatching might be on it's way. Estimate hatchday is today. So maybe we will see a hatchling at daybreak. In the meantime this peregrine looks like Poirot.....
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