Griffon Vulture Webcam in Israel

[Marbzy]

15:00 The camera has zoomed out a little


15:02 More gliding practice


15:23 Dad would be proud

[Marbzy]

18:09 The perspective has changed again


18:20 The angle is back to normal


19:16 The chick appears to be incredibly tired

[Marbzy]

19:18 A couple of comments posted today below the live stream suggest that two more guests - K(?)72 and ?38 - may have paid the chick a visit in the afternoon. I guess I'll have to wait until a new highlights video is published before I can say more


Incidentally, K72 is K53's (K53 was seen here too...) female partner - their egg turned out to have been infertile...

20:32 Good night


The chick is 96 days old (and the stream is down at the moment).

[Marbzy]

29 May

5:00 The stream is back live


05:31 The proverbial worm can walk unharmed


10:25 The Egyptian vulture chicks are doing just great

[Marbzy]

12:27 Find the GV chick! (S)he is cutting quite a lonely figure out there!


12:28 But, oh my! The chick hasn't been lonely all morning...


12:45 I'm too heavy to exercise today, sorry


(Well, not quite - as a matter of fact I did observe, though did not capture, two brief bouts of wing exercise.)

[Marbzy]

14:04 Quite a lot of time today is spent like this


14:21 Here's one of the more ambitious moments in the (early) afternoon


15:24 Too much food will spoil you

[Marbzy]

17:23 The clock keeps ticking


18:06 Semi-flat


18:41 Completely flat

[Marbzy]

20:19 The chick can finally relax...


20:46 Good night to the 97-day-old

[Polly]

05:31 The proverbial worm can walk unharmed

Marbzy, before I look any further for the worm - what do you think?

In any case, the chick (which almost looks like an adult) knows what to do with its wings.

18:06 Semi-flat ....18:41 Completely flat

...The night temperatures are certainly pleasant and the rocks give off some stored coolness during the day.

But yes, I feel like that at the moment.

These increased visits of other vultures at the moment are strange.
I am surprised that the parents do not defend.

Are they so far and so long away from the nest that they don't notice these visits?

[Marbzy]

30 May

01:06 Asleep on the ground this time


09:29 Looking for a few last bouts of precious sleep


09:46 These tiny black visitors appear relatively welcome

[Marbzy]

10:43 Dozing


12:19 At least the head comes up every now and then


13:58 Or not every...


It's not that hot out there now. According to a weather forecast, daytime temperatures are in the high 20s, while at night they are generally in the 10-15 degrees range. Plus most days there's a fair amount of breeze.

[Marbzy]

14:40 The chick's finally up (mind you, this is not continuous coverage - I merely manage a look from time to time)


15:03 Trouble!


15:05 In the moments leading up to K53's arrival, the chick had been acting just as (s)he would always behave expecting a parent. Naturally, the chick then crouched down quietly by the cliff wall as if bracing for the worst upon realising that the incoming vulture was no relative. By the time this image was captured, K53 had "bitten" the chick in his/her back at least twice. The chick made a couple of half-hearted efforts to reply in kind, but has generally been reduced to arguing - just like in the image below

[Marbzy]

15:06 And now to make matters worse, K53 is joined by his female partner in crime - K72 (a reminder: this K72 laid an egg this season, but it turned out to be infertile - K53 abandoned it after 94 days of unsuccessful incubation). K72 instantly charges at the hapless chick


Mind you, griffons may be classified as raptors, but they are not killers, so this visits seem more like lessons in the colony's pecking order, but I admit that this is just speculation on my part.

15:07 Amid all this commotion, the male (K53) suddenly takes off


15:07 The female soon follows - at least their stay was short (though they did land a total of at least four-five angry jabs on the chick's back)

[Marbzy]

15:08 And the chick is seemingly unfazed


15:57 The 13-week-old is back to his normal ways


16:01 As the breeze picks up, (s)he engages in lively exercise

[Marbzy]

16:05 Gliding practice into robust headwind


17:53 Back on the ground


18:08 There's a parent on the ledge - barely a couple of feathers make it into view, while the chick keeps bristling and shaking the body in expectation of a meal

[Marbzy]

18:09 My money is on Dad (Mom does not normally venture onto the left-hand section of the ledge post-feeding)


18:10 The chick's efforts fail to produce a reaction


18:12 These guttural croaking calls go unanswered, too

[Marbzy]

18:16 But I'm soooo hungry


18:17 The parent's identity is not confirmed


19:12 Sunset

[Marbzy]

19:22 The chick keeps roaming the nest and its direct surroundings


19:50 The head disappears between the wings


23:37 Good night!


The chick is 98 days old. At this point, his/her parents spend a lot of time searching for food for him/her and only very infrequently turn up at the eyrie. They are said to irregularly keep an eye on the chick from the top of the opposite wall of the canyon, but that is as much information as I have been able to retrieve.

[Marbzy]

31 May

02:01 At some point through the night the little griffon assumed the standing position


05:28 (S)he doesn't really qualify as an early bird, does (s)he? (But griffons are generally known to be relatively inactive in the morning hours)


05:30 The commentator's curse...

[Marbzy]

05:32 The chick does a few paces around the nest


05:35 ... lets out a mighty yawn...


05:35 ... and buries his/her head where it's most comfortable