Bird Cams Around the World

GSB is in LaCrescent in southern Minnesota along the Mississippi River
Master of the nest box = TRAVIS
His Mistress is = MICHELLE

Travis is 2003 hatch, so 11 years old.
Michelle is 2005 hatch, so 9 years old - (GSBDweller post)

GSB eggs laid in April 2014
Egg 1 laid at 7.27 am April 4
Egg 2 laid at 1.10 pm April 6
Egg 3 laid at 7:47 pm April 8
Egg 4 laid at 4.36 am April 11
Egg 5 laid at 12:57 pm April 13

May 13 Tuesday
4 am I hear LOTS of cheeping - but it could be the neighbors
4.15 - M preening - tail to cam, she turns - *peek* - eggs are so white with IR,
M clacking her beek - reminds me of a GHO, assumes 'tuna' position
5 am T calls - M looks up, clacks her beek (does this mean anything???)
I dont know what Travis is doing - hunting perhaps, he calls and calls - and calls - M just looks
It looks too dark to hunt
Sounded as if Travis landed on the perch, M went out to meet him - I didnt see prey.
I did see - 4 eggs! :( I expected to see a hatch! :(
5.40 am I heard M takeoff kaking so snipt - what?
8 am Even in morning light one egg looks very pale
M is peeping softly, perhaps saying - hurry up kiddo, the contestants are waiting

Today is a good day to start this thread because her 4 remaining eggs have not hatched yet. :)


May 09, 2014 Michele ate 1 of her 5 eggs.
We thot it was inviable for days, she had been laying it aside.
She laid 5 eggs, often when more than 4 eggs are laid, the last are infertile.
Eggs deplete the calcium in her body.
http://www.raptorresource.org/forum/ind ... .1635.html




Thank sky!

MISSISSIPPI RIVER VIEWS
You can see Wisconsin !

May 14 Wednesday
3.45 am Michele has been restless, wiggling almost constantly. I thot I heard chick.
5 am Travis flies by calling to her, she peeps an answer, gets up and exits box.
Identical behavior as yesterday.

6.38 am Michele shifted and started kakking. I saw white on 2 eggs - no hatch - but I did see white
The shadow of the cam is in exactly the WRONG place! lol o well
There must be a wasp nest nearby, so many hang around nestbox
I hear Travis and can see his shadow when he lands on an outer perch, chirping to M.
8.49 am still eggs
9.11 am M leaves, all 4 still eggs - spotty, lotta white spots - no chickie-poo

noon - Michele and Travis are both kakking while on eggs, then flying outta the box.
I do not know what may threaten. Several falcons visited that nestbox before M and T migrated back to reclaim it. It also had a flying squirrel and a mouse and a GHO visit at various points.
2 pm Shift change - still 4 eggs
2.30 pm falcon exited kakking again, eggs sure look holey! I bet 3 hatch within hours like last year.

May 15 Thursday Temp 47F
3.20 am 1 egg had been outside, M shifted position and rolled it under her wing, I saw 2 eggs under her.
This is what I SAW, she did not get up for me to view 4 eggs
Now I hear tiny echoy *chup chup chup* - which could be chick inside egg. Maybe thats the egg under her wing?
3.30 Adorable hollow sounding chupping as chick #1 fights for LIFE!
4 am Louder more insistent CHEEUPPing as M lifts up a bit. Definite hatching!
I wonder if M's constant wiggling softens up the shell to ease the baby's efforts.
5 am Travis came calling and M left, and lil chick #1 CHEEEEEEEEEEupt- but still 4 eggs





6 am Loud strong chups from the egg as parent leaves - 4 eggs alone
- I wish we had a zoomer to zoom in close on eggs
- Travis is flying around kakking - probably hunting

GSB falcon live cam - sometimes we get a cam tour of the river! :)
http://www.ustream.tv/greatspiritblufffalcons/pop-out

7.41 am just eggs
9.35 am just noisy eggs - peeping loud tho
10.37 am Shift change - still 4 noisy eggs
This cam mic is so sensitive I can even hear the eggs click together as M shuffles around
12.38 pm Both were in box peeping to each other, still 4 eggs
2.37 pm Still 4 noisy eggs which now sound like ...... DUCKS!
I dont know whats out there but both parents are kakking a lot




I like it here inside Mum, do I HAFTA come out?

Waiting for hatch

May 16 Friday
4 am Eggs are very loud even under M
4.30 I hear 2 peepings and see 2 eggs and hear the clacking of eggs - dont see any chick
- The IR on the eggs really looks bright white like a chick - easy to be fooled!
4.45 I still hear the insistent, strong CHUP CHUP CHUP of at least 2 chix
- Nearly an hour and no peek at the whole clutch
4.53 Travis flies by calling as usual - M looks out. This is such a well-mated pair.
5.10 I saw 3 eggs, cant see 4th - she is hiding clutch
5.49 am M has been clacking her beek but has not exposed clutch
5.51 She got mostly up and I saw under her - 3 eggs for sure, but cant tell if chick
- Travis is calling, M just looks
- occasional tiny peeps from M
6.48 am Is that an eggshell behind Travis? He is on eggs now - I missed the shift change
- T doesnt like egg duty, he just enjoys fertilizing them
- I can see the shadows of the darting cave swallows as they breakfast on flying insex
7.13 am Shift change - STILL 4 NOISY EGGS!
I didnt wanna post til there was a hatch, but I got things to do!

8.40 am All 4 noisy eggs exposed. I see the SAME white line I saw days ago.
Has that chick been trying this long? If so, I am concerned. O ya ya ya call me Ms Worrywart
The chicks vocals are distinctly different - peep peep vs CHUP CHUP
EGGS exposed, no parent, 10 minutes - Temp 46F
10.12 am Twice Travis has gone in to relieve M but she sent him away.
10.34 am Michele finally got up - stiffly - and left. 1 of the 4 eggs does have a tuft of white
- M returned but T said he had the kids a bit longer. Such a sweet bird couple they are.
I think they are discussing whether to take their young to the Eggspital


NOT comin out!

As of 6.54 pm we still do not know if there is a hatch.
I have seen 3 eggs - the 4th whatever kept hidden.
I am not hearing the chirping inside the eggs as strong as before

Egg 1 laid April 4 - egg 5 (she ate) laid April 13
Seems we shuda had a hatch by now

May 17 Saturday
3.52 am Just saw 2 of the eggs, she didnt move enuf to see more
- I can definitely hear eggs chirping, no doubt of it at all
- Lots of annoying sounds of trucks, railroad, etc
4.10 am Still 4 noisy eggs - M rose up just enuf to see all 4
4.56 am Shift change, Travis took over. YO Trav - ya forgot one! Still IR, not dawn yet
Travis sez - Ah nuts, I'd rather do the hunting than babysit! -
5.20 am T kakking loudly - Michele I've had nuffa this egg duty! Come back!
5.26 am Shift change - I DEFINITELY see the hatch (pip) opening and closing, moving, and a bit of the white chick. Babies fight hard for LIFE.

SO - NO HATCH as of 5.30 am Saturday

5.43 am T flies overhead screaming, hunting no doubt, and M quacks and watches
M exits box - I see 4 VERY NOISY eggs - but - I wont be surprised if 3 hatch today - like 2013 did
5.48 am M kakking LOUDLY - why I dunno - real or imagined threat?

6:02 am Another shift change, one of the 4 eggs was standing up on its end, M picked it up - yes she did
- At a different nest last year the Dad picked up a chick that wind blew across the roof, and carried it back to the nest
6.14 am T flying all over screaming - either hunting or chasing other birds off

Atta girl Mom, save kids from that dragon! oh .. thats just the shadow of the cam in dawn sunrise

May 17 Saturday
Many darting swallows shadows on the cliff in the early dawn, eating insects.
Is M eating pieces of the shell as it breaks open? Hard to know
YES, thats eggzakly what she is doing - eating the eggshell off the hatching chick.
I am hearing at least 2 distinctly different peeping sounds from 2 eggs.
I got 2 snips but you cant tell from a still shot.
Babies seem to be having a very hard time, is the shell overly hard?

7.21 am One egg under her butt, 2 in a straight line under her, 1 she is eating in front
Very strange going on up there on the bluff
I've been concerned a few days now. This does not look normal.
If I can read falcon at all, the parents are concerned too. They are not young birds.
They are a devoted pair and have always been excellent parents.
The egg she is eating is very stringy. As she pulls pieces off egg its like a spagetti strand.

9 am Still 4 noisy eggs
- I still hear the eggs when she shuffles - kind of a hollow morroccas sound.
La Cucara-CHA! La Cucara-CHA!

Comments from the GSB SS
I wont use names as I dont have their permission
(male) - I'm not an alarmist, but I am beginning to get a little concerned about the eggs

I agree Shep, I am afraid they may starve to death if they do not eat soon. I have read that they live off of what is left of the egg yoke for a day or so but this has been going on for a few days now. Again I'm no expert.

sky - People on that SS get hyper eggcited and are not eggsperts.
Neither am I but I can tell an egg from a chick.

Del - that is something I never heard - but I have been concerned for several days.
My concern is of ignorance. Michelle seems upset to me - but thats conjeggture.
hmmmm ..... is the hollow sound of clicking eggs part of what you said ?

Here are my notes since earlier.
9.27 am Still 4 noisy eggs. M seems frustrated - and people watching are too.
MAYBE?? - I cant see the clutch - so this is nothing but a question
9.54am M may have just pulled the shell off the chick and dumped it out in front of her.
It happened too fast to snip - and I was ready! She has been eating that shell
LOL! M is watching a huge fly on the wall inside her box lol - git it! git it!

I took this video link from RRP forum on GSB
Eating Egg or Helping Hatch? Shift Change
http://youtu.be/sDfE0F2Y14A

Comments from the GSB SS
I wont use names as I dont have their permission
(female) Cold weather can lead to nest failure & its been cold