Black Stork Nest in Karula - 2016

[Anne7]

Anyway only a vet after an examination would say exactly whether this chick suffers with it. Neli was also very small but finally she grew up and fledged. The fact is that the chick was in worse state a few days ago than yesterday and today.

I hope you're right, Asteria, and that kind of a miracle will happen ...
If not, please don't shoot at the messenger.
I only did some research, and of course this could be a wrong diagnosis.
But Unfortunately this chick isn't growing, I feel very sorry for the little one.

[Jo UK]

Thank you Anne7. That is a valuable resource for those of us interested in going deeper into this chick's condition. It has to be some kind of develpmental problem as nothing else seems to fit the pattern. Maybe we shall get a veterinary opinion one day.

[Lussi05]

Thank you for interesting comments. I feel so sorry for the little one, and I'm worried for what will happen to him. I know it's nature, and it's how it is, but it's hard anyway:-(

22:20 - Tiny is safe between his siblings, Karl is in the nest (I think)

[baska]

June 3


Good morning

6:53 Karl has just fed the chicks.
The smallest doesn't look good. It became more grey again. Currently it is lying between his siblings, being protected and covered.

[baska]

7:13 Change. Kati is feeding. The small one has just got some peaces in its beak.


Kati did roll the egg back to the middle


The small is again between his siblings

[Lussi05]

Good morning

08:19 - Someone was restless:)

[Liz01]

good morning

8:37 the egg is back at nest


5:59
http://193.40.124.24/2016-must-toonekur ... -05-59.JPG

video follows.....

[Liz01]

8:43 a change

[Liz01]

8:50 the storklets are not hungry. All have full crop

[Swenja]

Kati threw the egg out of the nest.

[Liz01]

9:00 again a change. Kati came home







Kati regurgitate a pellet

[Liz01]

Kati threw the egg out of the nest.

please not

[Liz01]

9:05 Kati with the egg


this time it is dropped

[Swenja]

Hopefully Kati not clean up continues. (and Next, the little)

[asteria]

Kate did it right: rotten eggs sometimes explode if they are not removed. Chicks don't. Also chicks sooner or later leave the nest themselves and eggs can't do that.

The smallest chick has pretty many black feathers by the way.

[Vicky]

Hello all
I have been watching the storks among the other birds since spring 2015 but haven't really been into the discussion earlier.
It broke my heart to see the mother dragging the baby by the neck yesterday (or Wed?). Anyway, it seems obvious that the chick is not going to live long if it doesn't speed up the growth (which seems pretty impossible).

As there was already one egg that didn't hatch, maybe this little one also should not have hatched in the first place....? Nature does funny tricks.
Does anyone know if there is in fact some numbers of stork eggs that normally are not hatched or are rotten? Like if the percentage is 50%, then this would be a perfect match to that: two healthy storklets and two "rotten ones", where unfortunately one hatched.

Anyway, this morning it seemed to me that the smallest one has got some feathers on it. Until earlier this week it seemed to be naked so maybe it just is developing late. (I hope that is the case and we see some amazing quick development during the following weeks...)

[asteria]

The smallest chick doesn't look bad at all and it does grow up but slower than others.

As for the eggs: the number of fertile and "empty" eggs is unpredictable. In Tiit&Tiina nest once all the eggs were OK, next year one egg was empty, and third year only two eggs of five hatched. Sometimes such eggs are ignored by storks and stay in the nest until ringing, sometimes they are removed by birds.

[Jo UK]

Visitors
If the "attacks" resulted in the death or removal of the small stork, it would be understandable, but these attacks are not completed. I have sent a message to Urmas asking if he understands this behaviour. When he replies I will post it here.

Reply from Urmas

It is difficult to say about behavior of adult, but probably there is some instinct to get rid of remarkable different chick among others. May be also linked to food shortage, though that should be not really problem - we checked some streams around the nest site and water is still in there (not much though). Beaver dams hold water also and there are green frogs spawning now.

[Jujani]

Liz01 cool picture withe the flying egg

today was chicken-cleaning-day

[Abigyl]

They look like a large family with 2 Grand Parents, parents and a young child... :