Black Stork Nest In Karula 2023.

[Swenja]

Thank you @Illi
The hard fish



She must have swallowed some of the nesting material as well.

[Swenja]

06:48 Kaia covers the chicks and the eggs.
07:28 She hasn't gotten back up yet.

07:43 Kaia spits out the fish. The chicks are hungry.



The fish is soft again and steams. She tries to squash the fish.

[Swenja]

07:48 The fish has not yet broken into small pieces. She takes it back to herself.



Kaia covers the chicks and the eggs again.

[Swenja]

08:32 new food attempt
But the fish is not ready yet. She takes the fish back.



Kaia covers the chicks and the eggs again.

[Swenja]

08:56 Karl II ist back. Greeting!
Kaia remains seated. Karl II preens himself.

[HelenL44]

08:32 new food attempt
But the fish is not ready yet. She takes the fish back.



Kaia covers the chicks and the eggs again.

Wow, I've never seen such a food preparation process with the storks before; usually it's just regurgitation with maybe one re-take. Their intake and output of the stale fish is kind of like what a food processor would do for a human, mash or grind it down into edible pieces.
#1 chick amazed me with its ability to try to eat things that were too big still. As someone said earlier - Kaia and Karl make strong chicks.

I remember when Karl I had a massive fish that he regurgitated - it looked too big to even fit inside him.

[Swenja]

Hello @HelenL44
If there is not enough small food to be had, then large fish are predigested and squashed small.
The big pike, however, lay for hours on the edge of the nest. This kind of fish preparation can also be seen
for the first time at Karl II and Kaia.

[Swenja]

09:11 Kaia stands up. She talks with Karl II.
Karl II takes care for the eggs and chicks.

Karl II gives some fodder. Kaia takes food and seems to be grateful for it.
#1 eats well too. #2 was looking for food in the wrong place.



Karl II flies away again and comes back on the other side of the nest.

09:14 He flies away again.

[Swenja]

It looks like Kaia did not find enough suitable food for the chicks.

09:18 Karl II brings a lot of nesting material.

[Swenja]

09:38 Karl II comes to the nest without nesting material.
09:39 He flies away again.

He is back with moss.

[Swenja]

Karl II now wants to take care of the chicks and the eggs.
He nibbles on Kaia.







09:44 Kaia flies away.

I hope that Kaia has found enough food when she comes back to the nest. And that the search for food will not take so many hour.

[Swenja]

09:58 Kaia comes back with nesting material.





She goes onto the curved branch and is preening.

[olala]

It looks like Kaia did not find enough suitable food for the chicks.

I support your opinion, Swenja.
Judging from the feeding attempt at 06:21/22, Kaia is having trouble getting food. She was only able to regurgitate a bit of something small and a lot of saliva.
I hope the pike came just in time so that Kaya doesn't have a nervous breakdown like last year.
Needs rain and a food basket!

[Swenja]

I agree with you @olala

Kaia, of course, is not picky when it comes to foraging. It's all about survival and she will take what she can find.
But it seems that Kaia prefers to gather food from the mud and wetlands. This, of course, takes longer to get a large amount. With the dryness now, the prey is moving deeper and deeper into cool damp corners.

My impression is that Karl II brings a lot of fish. Of course, he is not picky either. But he is a good fisherman.

[Swenja]

The big pike and the food of Karl II digests Kaia in the nest.
Both black storks together in the nest with chicks and eggs - let's enjoy this sight!

[Anne7]

Hello

Karl II now wants to take care of the chicks and the eggs.
He nibbles on Kaia.
...
I hope that Kaia has found enough food when she comes back to the nest. And that the search for food will not take so many hour.

Yes, it does indeed look like Kaia did not find enough to eat/feed.
That is worrying (in my opinion), especially this early in the breeding season. There are only 2 chicks for now, and they are still so small that they do not eat large amounts....

No doubt Karl II noticed that Kaia was eating along. And that Kaia swallowed that old dry pike. That must have been hard for her, like having to swallow a log...

Karl II is such a good and kind male that he insisted on taking care of the chicks again, so Kaia could go out hunting...

06:26 Kaia tries to swallow the pike. She has been trying since 06:24


06:32 The 'mummified' fish has not yet been swallowed


09:12 Kaia ate pretty much all the little fish that Karl II had regurgitated.
Karl II did not protest.


Edit:
As Olala wrote: they need rain and a food basket!

[Swenja]

Karl II stands up. The chicks can hardly be seen. Can't see the eggs.



10:28 Karl II flies away. Kaia takes care for the chicks and the eggs.




The egg #3 is 30 and egg #4 is 28 days old.

[Sabsy]

good morning everyone
I'm so touched every year how Kaia & Karl communicate with each other,
they understand each other and harmonize great...
Karl knows that Kaia probably has a harder time fishing.
Isn't it amazing that black storks are so smart?

[Swenja]

11:13 Ps. Kaia wants to give food. But she held it back twice.
edit: I think that the dry pike might not be so good for the chicks.
Maybe she doesn't want to give any of it to the chicks? Maybe the pike also deprived Kaia of a lot of liquid.





11:17 She loosens the nest floor.

11:20 Kaia covers them all again.

Hello @Anne7 nice pictures

Hello @Sabsy
Karl II and Kaia are beautiful!

[Anne7]

Weather report for Karula

Overnight into Friday a few clouds are expected, and some more clouds roll across on Friday morning. For the afternoon the weather is changing with a mix of clear and cloudy skies and a chance of showers. We can see a mixture of cloudy and sunny skies. Temperature highs are likely to reach 13 °C. Overnight into Friday blows a light breeze (7 to 12 km/h). By day a gentle breeze is expected (12 to 20 km/h). From time to time gusts could reach up to 30 km/h. Winds blowing from Northwest. The weather forecast for Karula for Friday is likely to be accurate.


https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/we ... 4497?day=1


Swenja, thank you for all your work