Goshawk nest in Riga 2023

[Polly]

Maybe I'm not only hard of hearing but even deaf - the couple has completely vanished into thin air.
No babble, no nagging...nothing.

The second half of the day was like there were no Goshawk here.
I don't know how they manage to control their hormones like that. I would like to be able to too.
The pair wriggles through all the bouts between daily multiple matings and complete inactivity - stop & go through the heatwave.

The weather for Riga is similar to Tartu/Estonia for Friday again -11°C, then rising again but still frosty.

They are prepared and the H's are extremely flexible - the egg comes when it comes. H21 is very straightforward in this regard.

Good night!

[Emi7]

Hello Polly and everyone.

Another year with irregularities (it is that these are like that, in Tartu it seems that they are more constant).

From today at noon the chamber of Nederland is already open.

https://nestkastlive.nl/havik/

Greetings

[Emi7]

March 9th

Good morning Polly and everyone.

6:43:58 Distant sounds.
8:47, 49, 52 , 9:20 , 25 Calls.

11:09 H44 enters the nest with a branch, jumps something up, soft gjak (11:10).
11:11:28 Mating.

It is hard for me to think that they are not in the area in the first hours or that they take so long to appear, when they are, they are in a position to breed.
Not all couples breed every year. In the Riga chambers, Margo dropped out in 2015 and didn't try in 2018.

We'll see how she continues.

[Polly]

Have a nice afternoon everyone, Emiliano!

I am convinced that Team H is not in any way considering another nest.

Check it out... the conditions are not favorable and what are the birds supposed to be doing in this nest right now. I think they brake a bit slowly but are always ready for 120% speed when the conditions are better.

The couple was very active in calls today. They are there.

11:09 H44 enters the nest with a branch, jumps something up, soft gjak (11:10).
11:11:28 Mating.

hop hop hooray...

H44 hops into the nest...with a nice twig and both feet firmly in the snow again.

The branch he brought with him seems to be hanging on him. H44 takes one end up on the branch.

[Polly]

He looks so grown up...

[Polly]

As mentioned, many calls today until the early afternoon.

16:33 Beginning of a whispering lesson - mating.

[Emi7]

Polly

The goshawks can be fixing two nests at the same time to decide in the end for one of them, for the H's it seems a lot.
Normally when this happens the nests are close.

10:47 , 51 , 56 Calls
The camera is very noisy.

[Polly]

...to decide in the end for one of them

I've decided this will be it.

It will be fine.


17:34 By the way, silent fluttering in the forest. Guess they're lounging there.

[Emi7]

March 10th

Good morning Polly and everyone.

As in recent days shortly at dawn, although I heard a distant and barely audible sound from Goshawk at 6:10:27.

Other visitors to the nest have been great tits, magpies, and the ever-present ravens.

It is clear that they do not spend the night next to the nest. Distances of 300 or 400 meters can be considered close to the nest, but the microphone of the camera beyond 100 m drops a lot and they do not approach until late in the morning except on individual days. Since we know what they are like, they will step on the accelerator at the end and will lay their eggs in about 15 days or sooner.
If they had another nest I would be happy for them that they can function and be autonomous adapting to the circumstances even though things could go worse for us.

09:00:54 H21 enters the nest and carefully places a large branch on the edge, preceded by another more distant anterior at 08:45:50 and another at 09:43:54.

Yesterday marked a year followed by the camera, with which we can say that we have a complete annual cycle.

Kind regards

[Polly]

Good evening together!
Emiliano, thank for the timestimpes.

09:00:54 H21 enters the nest and carefully places a large branch on the edge

The power saving mode is retained but the pair remains on standby.

H21 pecks in the nest floor ..feels the snow and flutters onto the side branch.

[Polly]

The nest does not remain long without interested parties. Actually only very briefly.
The magpie had been on the side branch for a while. We see the end of her tail and hear her pecking.
...you can also hear crows and Jay. All favorite buddies are together.

She shines like a bacon rind.






Hop through and flutter away.
Funnily enough, the crows gargle at the magpie the same way they did at Goshawk.

[Polly]

And it goes on ...
Here there is total sightseeing - tourism.

10:30 The meeting is convened and soon three prospective customers show up.
There are more around, not so interested or scouts who warn of the neighbors. Only their shadows can be seen.



It rattles and cracks...

[Polly]

12:50 An H flutters into the nest tree, calling.
Could even be H44.


Then I heard nothing more.

[Polly]

15:31 Heard again. Possibly H44 again.



The temperatures during the day are developing positively.
We'll see how that affects the couple's activities.




Good night!

[Polly]

March 11th

They sit in the tree and wait for better weather.

The couple remains on track.

Listen:
07:35, 08:44 very close

10:16 Inspector crow for control


10:42 H21 flutters into the nest tree, calls
'48 H44 responds, approaching - mating likely in nest tree

Soft sounds and soft squeaks from H21 until '50.
One leaves the nest tree towards the park.

11:08 H44 approaches the calling H21 again - mating probably in the nest tree again.

further presence:
11:12 further away
'15, '32 back again, close

'41 - 48 H21 calls a lot off-road but also near
Then both can be heard, partly heated sounds very close but no mating.

11:50 H44 shows up briefly in the nest - in and out.






The morning of the H's:

[Polly]

12:47 ...thunderstorm is approaching. H21 calls.

'57 calls loudly again and slips over a branch into the nest to continue calling.






...and also calls when she has left the nest on the side branch.
'58:47 Either H21 shook itself or left the tree.

[Polly]

17:48 - 52 Occasional interjections from crows (and the boring raven ) and goshawk.




Show yourself spring!

[Polly]

20:30 This is not a H... this is an owl! She jumps up into the nest from below. Whereby she does not enter the nest.
She brings food.


She sits on the edge of the nest (on her prey?) and does nothing else.


20:38 She rises and pulls out her prey...she eats.
It sounds like the loot is hard to snatch.

20:43 She is dozing again.

20:52 Gets back up, looks at the food carcass and starts tearing again.
Did she use the leftover food from the H's?
It might be frozen. Or it's a rat.

She is alert, keeps looking behind her.


Tawny owl, right?

[Polly]

21:10 And sits down again...
Positions itself even more firmly for a moment, only to get up again immediately, look at the food and eat again.




Well, that's how it is. When spring is called, the owl comes.

21:06 He reacts to the barking dog.

Always alternating between sitting on the food carcass, dozing and bringing it out again and eating.

[Polly]

I hope it remains an occasional visit. I don't think the Goshawk is particularly hospitable to tawny owls.

Continues to eat with relish... Snow enchants its fine beak feathers.


No more eating breaks.

Too bad it's not easy to see what he captured. Rat, little rabbit ... ?
22:08 is getting more energetic now.