Looduskalender

23 May

00:19 The chick's a walker


02:02 And here we go again...


03:03 ... and again

09:00 The little one hunched over the chasm


11:24 (S)he's doing a fair amount of walking today


13:07 And (s)he's no stranger to stand-up


The chick's walking technique needs more work - his/her movements are not fully coordinated. Getting from A to B still involves quite a lot of flailing of the lower legs. If your (un)lucky, you might even see the chick trip over a stick and land on his/her belly (it's happened at least twice in the last four days, but is incredibly hard to document).

14:03 Wing exercises are back!


15:14 Take that! The chick's scapulars look like a wild horse's mane


15:20 But this is no exercise...

15:21 It's a sign that a parent is coming home


15:22 A feeding by Mom


15:23 It's quickly over, but the chick doesn't seem to have noticed that Mom's already started to wipe her beak

15:27 Adieu!


15:44 Now, how's that for a surprise visit! It's an adult Egyptian vulture, possibly one of the couple who occasionally make it into my reports


15:45 The chick may not react to a mynah's or a pigeon's visit, but after initial confusion the little one goes after the guest, driving him off the ledge

15:59 Aren't there a couple of feathers missing from the chick's left wing?


16:02 Another food supply coming up?


16:03 Hello, Dad!

16:07 Unlike Mom, Dad stays on the ledge post-feeding


16:11 The chick won't stop asking for more


16:12 Temper tantrums?

16:13 Dad does come back


16:14 And the feeding starts anew


16:16 Someone's pressed repeat

16:23 Dad's just left - each time a parent leaves, the chick lifts his/her head with curiosity


16:27 The chick looking a bit lost


16:28 The crop's been filled a little

17:19 Who's that huge hairy bug?


17:22 This could be a form of exercise...


17:33 ... or is the chick trying to attract the attention of a parent perched nearby?


Most likely, of course, it's neither.

19:02 Time to get the plumage back in order


20:37 Bed time


23:18 The head is buried under the wings. Good night!


The chick is 91 days old tonight.

In "Breeding behaviour and parental care in the Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus on the island of Crete (Greece)" - a paper I have already referenced on these pages - Xirouakis and Mylonas write: "The chick rearing stage started with the hatching of the eggs and ended with the fledgling of the offspring after 117 ± 10 days (range = 102-134, mean fledging date: 15 July, n = 12 pair-years)".

The Israeli griffon is still 11 days younger than the earliest fledgeling in the Cretean study and will only reach the mean fledging age in that study in 26 days. Fledging is hardly imminent then - I have to eat that pronouncement I made a couple of days ago

Good night to everyone following the chick's progress

Yes Marbzy, we finally crave the chick ... it brings relief as well as worries whether it will survive.
We are in the same position as with our children. On the one hand we hope for the ability to survive on the other hand it is nice to have them with us.

It always applies - everything takes time. :)

24 May

00:34 Initially, the chick is sleeping standing up


02:19 Some two hours later (s)he is lying down in a heap


13:57 Afraid of sunlight?

13:58 An afternoon nap


15:00 It's not that hot today (low 20s, in fact) and there's a little wind


15:35 Pacing

15:53 The chick wants an update on the events in the canyon


15:58 Preening in the wind (once or twice the wind throws the chick off-balance)


23:05 Sleeping up


Around 6 pm the camera was paying a visit to the Egyptians. Further checks at 7 pm and 7:40 pm did not produce any news. But it feels odd to have no idea how much has been missed out on.

The chick is 92 days old tonight. Good night!

25 May

00:13 The chick is sleeping standing up just past midnight...


03:10 ... and well into the small hours


10:38 Hello, there

12:12 What a promising sight!


12:41 So who's coming home this time?


12:42 Mom!

12:43 Begging...


12:44 ... more begging...


12:46 ... and even more begging

12:47 Mom takes off...


12:47 ... but the chick is still demanding food


12:48 Is that lipstick on the chick's lower mandible?

12:53 Clearly, the chick has partaken of fresh red meat


14:05 The chick presents his/her crop - the feeding was a success


14:27 Is there another feeding in store?