We now have our three chicks: MKD, TE, and MT. The parents, Bea and Jasper, are doing a fine job caring for their chicks. Jasper has been bringing in plenty of fish and Bea has been sheltering the three from the heat and indiscriminately feeding the trio. With MKD being the oldest and strongest, it is usually up front at feeding time.
When the chicks hatched from their shells you may have noticed a white notch at the top of their beak. This is an egg tooth that enables the chick to chip away at the shell poking holes in it allowing it to break through the shell. (See photo). The egg tooth will fall off in a couple of weeks after hatching. Upon hatching the chicks will have a buff down with a white stripe down their back which helps camouflage the chicks making them appear as one of the many sticks in the nest.
At two weeks the chicks begin to develop a dense wooly down and will lose the buff down. The chicks will appear black and prickly, somewhat “reptilian” in appearance. This “reptilian” stage will last about a week to two weeks.
15 comments:
12:55 fish delivery!
Peter
What a great picture of the three little ones!! Thanks for the summery of what has and will happen.
Vivian
Oh I was up in Michigan and missed all three hatches! But look at our little triplets! I am eggstatic!
Hey Carol, ditto.
That was yolk, right?
Peter
Does anyone know if Jasper spends his nights on the Nesting Platform? Just curious about that.
He's either in a nearby tree or on one of the many communications equipment on the tower.
No parents on the nest. Everything OK?
Peter
Hey Peter,
Bea is stretching her wings. She just came back. She usually takes a short fly around and is back within a minute.
Two fish - late lunch. 1:57pm.
Judy
Large fish delivery ... biggest I've seen Jasper ever bring. Bea is suitably impressed and babes are eager to sample. All looking happy!
DB
Large fish delivery ... biggest I've seen Jasper ever bring. Bea is suitably impressed and babes are eager to sample. All looking happy!
DB
Just noticed ... is that a smaller fish in the nest?
DB
Yes, there are two fish in the nest. It appears Bea is still eating and serving the flounder that Jasper brought in this morning to the three little ones. MKD has its left wing drapped over a mullet.
Thanks moderator for the continuing feedback. Sorry to be a dunce here, but sometimes the chicks seem to be asleep on the nest when the sitting parent gets up for a rest or short flight like this morning. They do indeed look like twigs etc. in the nest.
Then the chicks definitely perk up when food is being delivered.
I guess this is how it goes?
Peter
Pretty much for the first few weeks. After stuffing themselves with fish it's nap time until the next feeding. MKD is beginning to show its dominance by pecking at the other two chicks, mainly TE at this point.
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