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!
mmmmm why did that not work?!
Jo T Always on the side of the feathered guy!
You have to wait for the upload thing to go green and then hit the big blue button down the bottom to add the image to the post. Then you have to submit the post itself.
It's amusing trying to work out what's going on beneath her from the various expressions on mum's face!
Very nearly there with the screen grab, that tutorial really helpful, just a hiccup at one point which hope to sort out tomorrow.
Is it too late now for the other 2 eggs to hatch or is there still time? I know there was 1 egg that failed to hatch last year so wondered if this year it might be 2.
Plenty of food being brought in, Dad doing very well.
I'm still only seeing the one unhatched egg:
Dad was having none of it this time. Didn't see what he brought her.
Jot says the other egg is being kept warm by the chicks and just got a glimpse of it this morning I believe.
Yes def saw to eggs briefly this am, still trying to sort out my screen capture, I think the problem is that the file is png not jpeg, but having trouble working out how to convert in on a mac! The 3 hatched chicks are looking very well, did anyone see Mum man-beaking one earlier? It wriggled away, but not for long! If they do all hatch, I'm not sure they will all fit under her.
Didn't see the beaking incident but they are already exercising their stumpy little wings which must cause mum some discomfort!
I noticed that too! I'm sure some of those little noises mean 'keep still!'
There may be still a slim chance of another egg hatching - I think they all hatched within 2-3 days of each other last year. We had one unhatched egg last year which isn't unusual. If niether hatch today then I think it will probably be just the 3 chicks but we have to wait and see!!