Griffon Vulture Webcam in Israel

[Marbzy]

14:02 I'm almost certain this will be a stranger...


14:02 ... when Mom's labels come up


14:04 Has she been to a hairdresser's to have her hair dyed?

[Marbzy]

14:04 Mom gets airborne


15:16 The chick's left on his/her own to take on the heat


15:47 There's nowhere to go, really


...

[Marbzy]

22:40 Preening


23:47 Good night, youngster


The chick is 107 days old tonight.

[Marbzy]

9 June

01:23 The chick's sleeping like an adult


09:05 How many adults have visited the nest today?


(Quite a few times strange griffons have been observed here around 8 am (including a congregation of four adults - T53, T40 (the lead bully), T90 and T98 at 8 am on 30 May interrupted by the arrival of a fifth: Dad)

09:54 This visitor is completely harmless and may be ignored

[Marbzy]

09:55 But this is a very different kettle of fish...


09:55 K53 has got previous, K72 is not a newcomer (they are actually a couple whose breeding attempt failed this season, K72 is the female - form more see 31 May); the mynah is just a silent witness


09:56 K53 deals the chick a couple of hard blows as the mynah watches on

[Marbzy]

09:57 The intruders then back a bit, allowing the chick to raise the head


09:57 K72 decides she's got other fish to fry


09:59 After two more minutes dominated by preening, K53 calls it quits

[Marbzy]

10:00 But K72 is not going anywhere


10:03 She just keeps watching the chick from beyond the stone wall


10:09 But then she's replaced by another female

[Marbzy]

10:10 Great timing, Mom! (though 15 minutes earlier would have been greater)


10:10 This is going to turn into a huge breakfast


10:12 Mom turns her eyes to the sky

[Marbzy]

10:13 The feeding resumes


10:14 Mom walks away - she'll cross the stone barrier like K72 did


10:15 She uses a bulge in the floor to wipe her beak

[Marbzy]

10:16 And then she waves goodbye to her offspring, who is still begging with full determination


10:36 The chick's all over the ledge


11:45 Are we going to see some exercise?

[Marbzy]

11:49 This is no exercise! An untagged conspecific has just arrived


11:50 The chick made a costly error of judgement, mistaking the visitor for a parent


11:50 That mistake earned the chick a mighty jab in the back (there's a chance that blow would have been dealt anyway)

[Marbzy]

11:52 There was no follow-up, however


11:59 The guest just stood watching from the edge of the eyrie


12:00 Then (s)he left, carrying away that enormous crop

[Marbzy]

13:19 Having fully recovered from the nameless stranger's incursion, the chick enjoys a short spell of exercise


13:56 Yet another visitor... (T38, if I remember correctly)


13:57 This well-mannered gues takes off without coming anywhere near the youngster

[Marbzy]

14:30 From then on it just gets hotter and hotter


15:04 At least the head is still in the shade


15:27 A fair number of times the chick breaks into the begging mode (the purpose of which seems more general - perhaps attracting attention)

[Marbzy]

15:51 If it wasn't for the rocks, you'd think the chick is gliding across the skies


Mom came back to give the chick another feeding between 17:39 and 17:41. The youngster then took 6 minutes to stop asking for food and chatting.

18:23 A slightly compromising pose (as if showing submission before the mynah)


18:24 You've got to admire the little guy!

[Marbzy]

18:26 When the mynah takes off, you come to appreciate the little scallywag's beauty


19:12 The chick and the shadow


19:37 The chick reveal the full size of his/her crop (it hasn't been a lean day, has it?)

[Marbzy]

19:38 Scratching... (the action is not quite fluent yet - the chick has got to carefully make sure (s)he doesn't fall over while scratching)


19:56 ... preening...


20:11 ... and assessing the area beyond the great stone reef

[Polly]

If it wasn't for the rocks, you'd think the chick is gliding across the skies

... and it makes your heart race !!!!
Nearly ... .

Very early today, Marbzy.

[Marbzy]

21:29 The youngster's in no hurry to go to bed


21:50 That's more like it. Good night!


The little griffon is 108 days old tonight (and - just a reminder - expected to fledge at 130-140 days of age).

[Marbzy]

10 June

01:04 A sleepless spell has begun


01:20 The chick takes a break from preening


01:41 Back in bed after an extended preening session


The chick's left foot is unusually active - it moves nervously (and as if independently of the bird) every 20-30 seconds creating the impression of a tic, even after the chick's buried his/her head between the wings.