Black Stork Nest In Karula 2023.

[Anne7]

Kaia looks tired.





Edit 12:00 Are you OK, Kaia?

[Swenja]

Kaia has a very dirty beak. Nesting material hangs out.

[Anne7]

.
12:03 Kaia gets up


Only the heads of the chicks can be seen.

Kaia does a ps


She shakes her feathers.

The chicks are begging.

Kaia tries to regurgitate. Nothing came out.

[Anne7]

.
12:05:10 Now Kaia regurgitates


We can't see what happens in the nest bowl.

She takes back the big softened(?) fish.


She takes back many small pieces.

12:10 she aerates the nest floor

12:11 Kaia covers the chicks and the eggs



lunchtime

[tsang6482]

#1 chick amazed me with its ability to try to eat things that were too big still.

I hope it's not too off-topic here, but I think the greatest one in this nest was last year, when two chicks about 3 days old eating lampreys that were longer than their digestive tract.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evKxCGs0Fds&t=169s

Eating is a very instinctive behaviour, as this isn't something the parents taught. But some of the chicks in this nest are very impressive in that regard, in comparison to other nests. I don't know how Kaia and Karl II do this (rearing chicks like that).

[Swenja]

Thank you very much @Anne7
Hallo @tsang6482

Will we see the eggs again?

[Swenja]

12:46 Kaia gives food.
She takes back quite a bit of food.
The moss blocks the view. But the chicks are quiet shortly after feeding. So both chicks should have eaten.



She takes back the big chunk.



The chicks get small pieces of food. Kaia also takes some of that back.



Kaia coveres the chicks and the eggs again.

[Swenja]

Eating is a very instinctive behaviour, as this isn't something the parents taught. But some of the chicks in this nest are very impressive in that regard, in comparison to other nests. I don't know how Kaia and Karl II do this (rearing chicks like that).

Karl II and Kaia are now very familiar with each other. The love story began in 2020 and is successful!
Kaia is very communicative and smart. Karl II is a good provider and strong.
I think that the couple complements each other well within their capabilities.

From Karl II we know that he feeds the chicks very conscientiously. He manages to create a kind of "balance" between the chicks in the first days. For example in 2022: #2 was too nervous to eat properly. Karl II managed it so that #2 caught up wonderfully to the older chick by feeding individually.

Of course, we always look at these things from the human point of view. But we can explain some things only in this way. After all, we are not black storks.

[Swenja]

13:39 Who is there?
Kaia is watching someone.





No one has appeared.

[Swenja]

13:50 Karl II is here. Greeting!

A chick also greets


Kaia talks to him and flies away.

Karl II gives little fish. He watches the chicks closely.
#1 ate a fish.



But the second small fish was too big for #2.
#2 is still asking for food when KarlII takes back the second fish. #2 didn't seem to eat.



Karl II covers the chicks and the eggs.

[balistar]

Hello everyone

Sorry for the chronologically distorted inset, a few observations from tonight until early morning:


00.07.25 our most beautiful Karl II



00.38.38 egg on the left with the PIP, egg on the right i assume is only dirt

[balistar]

03.48.11 Karl II rolled the left egg backwards, you can see the protruding eggshell piece of the PIP



03.48.16 the little birds in the forest are singing nicely, they start very early at 3.00 in Estonia



04.33.25 no further progress on the eggs so far

[balistar]

04.34.36 the two cuties, on the left #1, on the right #2



04.34.48 also Karl II tried twice to swallow the rock hard pike



04.35.01 again the PIP on egg3 is visible (red dot)

[balistar]

05.21.04 Kaia came very early this morning
have you seen how beautifully little #1, only 1 day old, is already able to greet in storklet manner ?



05.21.07 Kaia must have eaten well, she did a big PS

[balistar]

Kaia could only eject a little mashed food - as Swenja's pic of 06.21.59 shows -

06.22.07 Kaia tries again very hard to regurgitate



06.22.16 but nothing more than saliva is flowing out of her beak (red dot)



again, sorry for disturbing the chronology

[Swenja]

Hello @balistar
thank you for the nice pictures from the eggs.

Does anyone actually hear the third chick? The other two are so loud.

[Swenja]

14:12 feeding again little fish.

#2 ate!



#1 was still full from the previous fish.
They are quiet and do not ask for food.



Well done Karl II

[Swenja]

14:45 ps
14:46 Karl II preens the chicks.



14:47 He gives food.



Karl II takes back the larger fish.



Maybe both chicks ate something. In any case, they are both very friendly to Karl II.
He covers the chicks and the eggs and everyone is quiet.

edit: It's a pity we can't see it clearly. Maybe #2 was full from the last fish. But since Karl II is now giving small fish at short intervals, he makes sure that every chick gets something. All is quiet in the nest and no clamor for food.

[balistar]

...
Does anyone actually hear the third chick? The other two are so loud.

again, Swenja, no, I haven't heard the third chick, not at night and so far not today. It's difficult with two chirping storklets with two different voices already Maybe someone else has better ears ?

[Anne7]

Balistar
Thank you for your keen observations and images.


Swenja
Thank you!
Too bad we can barely see anything in the nest bowl.



A cutie climbed up the slope. And managed to grab a little fish.
Whether the other cutie also got to grab something is impossible to say.


Our view. Two fluffy ping-pong balls hidden in the moss.