10 Mar 23 — fun interlude
A bit wet and windy on the ledge today… Oops Tom!
Two things today: first the chicks spent most of the night on their own and second chick #1 stood up and did a few steps for the first time.

The chicks were also left on their own for most of the day though Azina did come and brood them from time to time.

There were seven feeds, usually not very long except for one that lasted 40 minutes. Only pigeon on the menu.
Maybe tomorrow chick #2 will also stand up? Maybe chick #1 will decide to explore a bit more?

Shots for today:
What a day!
I wasn’t really expecting the first chick to hatch today. I was expecting it to happen more like tomorrow or Thursday.
The day started a lot like yesterday with Tom doing a shift between 6.03 and 6.43. Then Azina took over. Tom brought her some food at 9.48 and she declined. She left for an unknown reason at 12.18 and an egg was pipped!

Tom took over incubation for 10 minutes. Azina returned and didn’t leave for the rest of the day. And it wasn’t for lack of trying on Tom’s part but she refused to budge every time he visited (usually with food).
When I looked back through the recordings, it’s possible that the egg was already pipped at 6.43 am but as it was on the side it’s hard to tell for sure. Likewise, when Azina took over from Tom, the pip was barely visible. It goes to show that luck has a big part in whether we get to see if an egg is pipped or not.
I was on a work call at 2.27 pm while keeping an eye on the camera and to my surprise Azina got up and revealed a wet chick!!! It must have just hatched around then.

An hour later another glimpse showed us a slightly fluffier chick and its head for the first time.

At 5.02 pm, Tom desperately wanted to incubate and see his first chick but Azina didn’t agree to let him…
At 6.47 this evening when Tom brought yet more food that Azina refused but that gave us our first glimpse of the fluffy chick.

Azina has been so tight on the eggs and chick that it’s impossible to say if there are any more pips.
Shots for today:
Today was a light day for Tom incubation wise but it was not for lack of trying! This was his last try for the day, around 7pm, but Azina didn’t want to budge 😉
Happy one week birthday to the youngest chick! And I am pleased to say that it is thriving. And is a bit of a character, definitely holding its own against its bigger siblings.
It has just started to show pin feathers on its wings. And you can clearly see the difference 3 or 4 days make when you look at the older two.

Tom had taken a bit of a step back yesterday. He took two steps forward today 😉 He ended up feeding the chicks twice and doing a fair bit of brooding. Azina still did the majority of it but the chicks were left on their own a bit more again today.

Pigeon and starling was on the menu today. There were six feeds.
Some people are saying that they would usually bring Parakeets. But they wouldn’t, that’s always a bit later in the season (and the Peregrines are nesting earlier than they used to). The Peregrines mostly catch the Parakeets at dawn and dusk when they go from and to their roosts. As the Parakeets are nesting at the moment they’re staying put and the opportunities are fewer for the Peregrines.

To finish, this made me laugh when I saw it first. A game of ‘pass the morsel’ 😉
Shots for today:
The third chick hatched around 11.45 a.m. and it was a bit of a rough start… It was still curled up from being in the egg when revealed.
I will post all the photos and write up tomorrow.
Chick #3 is making attempts at standing up. Chick #1 is almost a pro at it. Chick #2 doesn’t seem in too much of a hurry.

Again they’ve spent most of the day sleeping. On their own. Azina paid them a few visits but was more a disturbance than anything, unless she brought food 😉

Food was again just pigeon and there were 6 feeds, by both Azina and Tom.

Feathers are starting to break and this is now the best way to distinguish between the three chicks.

Shots for today: