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!
What on earth are lizards and slow worms doing out and about on a miserable grey day like this?
Was Pete cradling his espresso in the visitor hut?
It has been the most beautiful sunny day today here at Arne Dom.
Off-line for 48 hours and there's another chick! - lovely to see at the VC, thought they had grown a lot just in 2 days but I realised that it's just a far bigger screen than the laptop :-)
Nice to meet you too Jot, will miss the chicks' progress when away.
Pete, I don't make cakes - I buy others' homemade cakes and eat them:-)
Lovely capture, Donna28.
Aaaargh! Don't say that! The sun did pop its head out just before it disappeared below the horizon in Surrey just now.
Sorry Dom - It started off cold enough to light the fire this morning but turned into a fantastic day!
Feeding time (a rodent) but mum wasn't interested and sat tight:
So dad hopped off for breakfast alone.
More slow worms and voles today - all chicks seem to be getting a good feed!
Yesterday evening, the male came with a mouse (intact) and the female took it and took off with it! Is it possible that the male is so caring about her that he feeds her because she is "working" nourishing the chicks? that was a surprising scene anyway.
Hi Olivier hows things? - this is normal behaviour - all the time that the chick are small the female will spend most of her time sitting on them. The male will be out hunting for food for the whole family and if the female is hungry she will meet the male outside the box and then he will look after the chicks whilst she feeds! When the chicks get bigger and need more food both parents will be out hunting and they will both feed the chicks!
Sounds like its raining at Arne...:-)
Capturing the Light with an original perspective displayed in every Photograph..perhaps
Missed the latest food arrival but looks as though it's yet another big juicy rodent that Mum is tearing up and some of those chicks are looking distinctly bigger now. Really must turn this off now, far too much to do before my hols!