We have all waited patiently with fingers crossed to see if our pair of buzzards would settle down and raise a family on our webcam nest but after a lot of early activity they seem to gone to somewhere else. So not to worry here at Arne we have always got something else up our sleaves and I am sure a lot of you will remember our kestrel family from last year. They had a brilliant 2011 by succesfully raising four healthy chicks including the smallest one that worried a few people early on.
We have decided to put this nest back online now and you can also come and watch it in the visitor centre. The female is sitting on 5 eggs at the moment and this is the same as last year although one failed to hatch. We are not sure when she laid her eggs as she was already sitting on the 5 when we turned the camera back on a week ago. However we think she is at least 2 weeks earlier than last year and the first chick actually hatched on the 21st May 2011. It is a bit difficult to predict when they will hatch but the female will incubate for about 28. So given this information please feel free to have guesses on dates!
To Watch this webcam online follow the link on our main web page or click here http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/webcam.aspx
Don't be confused by the buzzard information still on the page it will be updated in the next couple of days!
Great, and that respond to my question on the other thread, thank you! :)
edit : now you have to change the text below the camera ;-)
We are on it Olivier - See by last line above!
that was fun to look at the mother coming out and coming back, then turning carefully the eggs, sit on top, turning them again, with the sound of all the other birds around. Looking forward to see the little beaks breaking through...
Fairly quiet at the moment - Haven't seen male today - Femael has been turning eggs and preening a lot!
Just realised I put my post on the wrong one this morning, so has Dom - I blame his Dad for confusing us all:-)
Have to try and ignore the Buzzard thread now!
Not to worry - hope this thread will be towards the top of the page most of the time now!
Confusion should be at an end now - the correct kestrel information is on the web cam page!
Love the kestrels but I also miss the plucky mallard somewhat! :-)
The male was having a blissful little snooze just now when he was rudely awoken:
And it's raining cats and dogs by the sound of it.
Oh no, just remembered I've forgotten how to do screen captures - where's that year gone?! Nice sequence Dom.