looduskalender.ee

good morning Alice!
i woke up early, put the recording on and went back (to bed that is), as usual. i managed to "catch" an early jay. poor Pruuni could not see what it was. i think she only felt the air wave on her head: woosch!
picasion.com



the jay was there entertaining Pruuni later, too, at least at 6.33 or so. and a woodpidgeon came to sing to Halli at 7.20, but he wasn't very interested.

Good morning!
08.02
Pruuni was sleeping and suddenly appeared here two jays...they irritated Pruuni some time....

They were here maybe 15 minutes and then they left.

hello Mutikluti and welcome!

it was Halli who was in the nest when the two jays came to a morning call (and he is still there). they came at 7.57 and by about 8.09 they were gone i think. (it's difficult to say when the last bzzz was there... )
they were rather mean and loud this morning. otherwise it was the normal "shriek-dive-and-wake-up-Halli" and then "Halli-hides-the-head"- game ("the same procedure as every morning, James.", like in Dinner for one. )
picasion.com

Halli got up at 9.24, turned the egg, got up on the rim of the nest, scratched and streched... and took off at 9.27. again!


.... then he came back at 9.29 and was followed by two jays! again!!


now the jays are there quarrelling with Halli, who is kaa'ing.
now at 9.39 it became quiet. i think the jays left.

EDIT: too early to be happy: the jay returned at 9.42 and is singing to Halli still at 9.47. Halli complains...

i've noticed that the buzzards don't meow at all any more. that call seems to be reserved for winter and coutship time in the spring. the jays take care of the meowing now. they have also learned to imitate the buzzard kaa almost perfectly, only the pitch is somewhat higher (shorter/smaller voice organs than buzzards have, hence higher frequency). i saw yesterday morning how one of them kaa'ed at Halli.

finally Halli got so irritated that he got up, slapped at the direction where the jay was, got up on the back branch, flew after the jay...

but fortunately returned immediately in the nest! ice in the hat, Halli! stay cool!

the jay was there still at 9.52 but now it's gone (9.56, for the time being...)

Halli took off again at 9.57. he's making me a nervous wreck...

and returned at 9.58, now without escort. whaat is he up to??

10.00 out again!

... i'm loosing count again. he's in and out, out and in... at least once he brought a tiny dry twig and there seem to be fresh new greeneries.

he seems to look around carefully before he leaves to make sure that there are no jays around... but still i'm worried.
now he is in the nest, but who knows how in the next minute...

Halli has been away again since 10.30...


ah! he's back at 10.39!

now Halli seems to have settled down and he's sleeping now.
he made 7 trip out of the nest this morning. again i couldn't see whether he brought something from every trip.
Halli

left at 9.26 and returned at 9.29, did not see what he brought, except 2 jays followed him
at 9.48 he made a roundtrip chasing a jay
left at 9.57 and returned at 9.58 with a green twig
left at 10.00 and returned at 10.02 with a green twig
left at 10.00 and returned at 10.02 with a green twig
left at 10.04 and returned at 10.06 with a green twig
left at 10.10 and returned at 10.11 with a small dry stick
left at 10.25 and returned at 10.26 with a big green aspen twig
left at 10.29 and returned at 10.39 with a small dry stick

here he leaves at 10.25
....

... and returns at 10.26 with a big greenery.

he's certainly furnishing the nursery now. ...i think.

Pruuni arrived and Halli took off at 11.06.

at 16.01 Pruuni was preening herself so hard again that a fairly big feather came loose from her wing.
picasion.com


i have a vague memory that i just recently read somewhere that female birds (of prey? ) moult while they rear their young in the nest. that would be practical if they are staying in the nest anyway, and not flying around...

i think that the plant on the right rim of the nest could be some Galium-species.

ame,you have had another nerve-wracking day here. Now what will it be like when the chick hatches ? I dare not think.
19:53 I see Pruuni brooding the eggs.
Halli seem to have built a high 'wall' around the nestbowl. ? saves the chick from falling off,I think. He has done a good job there.

yeah, i know macdoum... it seems that mornings are the worst, whenever Halli is supposed to be at nest duty.... the books say that the female will be rearing the chicks at home and the male will slave in carrying prey to the nest from the crack of dawn till the break of day continously.... i don't think i'll ever be able to cover that...

so far it's calm before tempest: Pruuni sleeping in the nest. -well exactly at this very moment she's awake.

This cam! Oh dear, Halli and Pruuni, poor birds have no rest, the jays make their family life nervous, it makes one to feel fear to follow be cause of the threat that the Jays may harm the egg or later.. I do not dare to say it aloud.. This is almost too exiting.

You are doing a great work, ame.

I am just happy that 'my' jays have disappeared from Squirrel hill, so many small birds are nesting here, but also Wood peckers..

a cuckoo was calling... and Pruuni is lying in the nest, not sleeping though. the wind "sounds" like rain though i don't think i've heard any drops actually dripping yet...


thanks, Olga!
i don't actually think that the jays could be a serious threat to our baby buzzard, as long as it's not left alone by any drifting parent buzzard...
they are more like a nuisance, a very noisy one.

tomorrow will be day 32 completed.
today's playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA88ACC188AD45183
good night!

Ame, my goodness, those jays will give all of us an anxiety attack soon! They are so relentless. I know it is nature's way, but still, my heart is in my throat when I see them dive-bombing the poor buzzards. Some of the looks Pruuni gives them when they show up are priceless! She can really be expressive, for a bird!

May 30th
good morning!
it's a rainy morning and Pruuni is still in the nest, lying flat on her beak.
this picture is from the Pontu picture at 7.03. it's a nice mummy&egg-portrait i think.


she got up and took off. i guess she went to the loo, like on several mornings earlier, too.

Pruuni returned two minutes later at 7.05




Pruuni at 7.41: