Griffon Vulture Webcam in Israel

[Marbzy]

13:59 A two-headed vulture


14:45 How about a snack? But Mom isn't too generous


15:02 The chick emulates the parents - he/she maintains the pose for quite a while

[Marbzy]

16:34 At long last, Dad's back home


16:34 Usual greetings...


16:35 ... and Mom is away - that was a swift changeover

[Marbzy]

16:36 There's no hearty supper for the little one...


16:39 Dad takes a closer look


16:48 Dad goes for a walk...

[Marbzy]

16:48 The chick turns around still hoping to get a proper meal


16:50 It seems the wait will have to continue


17:37 He may not have been able to feed the chick, but at least makes sure the little one is comfortable

[Marbzy]

20:09 And that's it for the day

[Marbzy]

25 March

08:57 Dad looks to the skies


09:33 And the skies have sent him a replacement


09:34 Has Mom dyed her hair?

[Marbzy]

10:26 Just five minutes earlier she chased away a raven that had kept taunting her. This time the raven operated, keeping a sensible distance (so sensible that only his beak made it into cam view a few times, the croaking gave him away, too), from the lower (right-hand) section of the eyrie


10:41 She's keeping a low profile (and so is the chick)


10:52 That wing tag again!

[Marbzy]

Sadly, shortly before 11 pm the stream went down and has been down since. It looks like it could be a fairly serious issue, because all three BirdLife Israel nest cameras (short-toed eagles, long-legged buzzards, as well as the griffons) are offline. I'm not sure what the current COVID-19 restrictions could be in Israel, but it could take a while before the birds are back. I do hope to be proved wrong, especially after last year's premature end to the cinereous vulture stream at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (taken down not long before fledging, apparently due to forest fires in the vicinity). Fingers crossed.

Speaking of black vultures... The Spanish nest is back on live cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFXB2S ... e=emb_logo, and there's an egg in the nest. The quality of the stream is relatively poor (low res and overexposed), but at least it's there. I know this is not the place to do it, but in case anyone's into vultures here's a sample

[Marbzy]

26 March

11:06 The stream is back Or is it? It's quite unstable

[Marbzy]

12:04 Maintenance work was being carried out on the cameras (apparently, server capacity had to be increased due to the number of people following the live streams!)


12:04 Near-perfect symmetry


12:06 Dad's about to take flight

[Marbzy]

12:09 Mom proceeds to feed the chick


15:01 That neck of hers!


15:01 Noisy neighbours?

[Marbzy]

15:04 A double stare


15:04 To the left and to the right


15:07 Speaking of necks... The chick's is about as long as his/her body!

[Marbzy]

15:12 Here are some ups...


15:09 ... and downs


15:32 I'd rather look at a fuller crop


At one point the chick made several attempts to expel some poo, raising his/her bum and visibly exerting the muscles surrounding the cloaca - all in vain. The first time I've seen this happen, normally the whole process is successfully accomplished in no more than a couple of seconds.

[Marbzy]

15:03 A literal interpretation of looking up to your elders


15:43 Dad's back, looking all savage


15:52 And Dad again, looking all confused (Where did I put my pants?)

[Marbzy]

18:11 Dad's night shift has started


23:59 No surprises


Good night

[Marbzy]

27 March

00:51 Just checking


10:28 Mum's replaced Dad, and the Negev is a further hour ahead (Israel has already changed to summer time)


11:49 The chick says hello (he/she could do with some breakfast)

[Marbzy]

12:11 The chick's pooing is back to normal - it was so quick that I only managed to capture the characteristic posture (fractionally late, as usual, to capture the white squirt). At least the chick's size at nearly 5 weeks of age may be assessed


12:12 The wings are developing nicely and symmetrically


13:16 Dad's home for lunch?

[Marbzy]

13:18 The lady makes a prompt Momxit


13:19 Lunchtime it is. Unfortunately, it's difficult to see what's on the menu


13:21 Whatever it is that Dad is serving, it is filling the little one's crop quickly

[Marbzy]

13:24 The seven-year-old T49 is proving his doubters wrong


13:26 Where's the dessert?


13:30 The chick's rounded crop and belly make him/her look a like 2/3 of a snowman

[Marbzy]

13:40 Yawning or belching?


13:41 This crop could accommodate another meal


13:46 Mantling practice? The chick's left wing is clearly extended, Dad's are a bit lower than normal