Latvian black storks - 2020

[ame]

a new season has started!

https://looduskalender.ee/forum/viewtop ... 40#p716940

We need a new topic! Season 2020

Gaja is already here




her black feathers


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN2jIURb3yA

[ame]

reserved.

Liz, will you reserve a few posts for the introduction?

[Liz01]

...

Thank you very much for opening the new topic

Black Stork Sigulda county, 2020

The nest is located in Sigulda region. The camera was initially installed in 2018. The nest was found two years before the camera was placed. The nesting area is known for a very long time. The previous nest was known at least since 1982 and was used until 2005 when it was devastated by a pine marten.

The nest is a very typical black stork's nest - the pine branch is 1.8 m from the trunk, but a little unusual is that it is already in the middle of the surrounding tree crowns - about 18 meters high, not hidden under the crowns. It is also uncommon for this nest is the position the camera sensor as it is not on the tree trunk but on the branch behind the nest. This is to avoid the sun shining in the camera all day - the nest branch is directed almost precisely to the South. The nest is located in an old boreal forest with 150-200 years of pine trees and spruce trees. Therefore, it is possible that the camera's eye or sound will also catch a species of owl and husk.

The first season for which researchers have full information is 2017, when four storklets hatched, but three grew. To feed the fourth, the parents apparently lacked food because the bird died already in the nest. There is no news about the impact of carnivores, because there was an automatic camera at the nest until its removal. The last young bird left the nest on September 6th. Both adult birds were without rings.

In 2018, nesting was successful. The first black stork female arrived in the nest on April 5th and the first male on April 7th, but after a few days they were driven away by another stork couple. Both adult birds were without rings. From April 12, five eggs were laid, four of which hatched (May 18-20). All four storklets successfully fledged and were last seen in the nest on August 8-10.

In 2019, the camera system was installed on March 24 with the participation of Jānis Ķuze, Jānis Rudzītis and Māris Strazds. Special thanks to Arborist Edward Ozolin for helping with the camera sensor and microphone.

You can comment on what's happening in the nest in the Dabasdati.lv forum in Latvian
LFD Forum: https://forums.dabasdati.lv/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=4044

Youtube Live Stream: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pu2LYOnF44

Youtube LFD channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIcQwg ... hMBclDJENw

=== The Latvian Fund for Nature thanks all the donors we can use to provide live bird broadcasts! Donate for live support here: https://ldf.lv/en/support-ldf or with Mobilly! https://mobilly.lv/ Donations/#/ ===

[Liz01]

Important events:

Female arrived on 25.03 (she was already on the nest before - but the cam did not work earlier)

[Liz01]

How to distinguish male and female

Female with a black feathers on her right



INFO
M.S.
Concerning her identity. I’ll try to check later (I do not have pictures of 2018 directly availlable) but I doubt if this is the same female as then – at 2018 breeding female must have been at least 3 years old, so now she would be 5+. This year’s bird has not a single worn primary nor large back feathers – they all are fresh. I have not yet enough good data on moult and how it proceeds with age, however, all birds with known age (4-5+) have some moulted feathers. More likely this is a younger bird, possibly 1st-breeder (like Mare was the last year = 3 years old / 4th calendar year bird). If so it cannot be Gaja.

Reply:
About „Gaja’s” identity. I’m not certain either. I can tell individuals apart within any given year if good quality data exist. Between the years I rely with certainty only on rings (so far). What they tell is – bird’s plumage do differ between the years significanly. Are these changes traceable? Supposedly yes but it should be done first. One of the tasks for „tomorrow”...

[Liz01]

reserved

[Liz01]

March 25

8:47 Gaja arrived on the nest. She was already here before. Branches are already limed



video quality is bad, it is from delayed stream

[Liz01]

5:28 pm Gaja comes home for the night

18:06 light nest work


18:56 ready for the night





she was on the nest the whole night

[Liz01]

March 26

5:49 ps with open beak


6:49 wing stretching


6:02 preening, nestauration, then she flew to the left

[Liz01]

9:32 she is back - in this video you can see her black feathers on the right very well


the black feathers on her right


10:10 She flew away after resting and preening



Playlist Latvian Black Stork: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... R3KipEurN9

[Liz01]

March 27

5:56 Gaja was on the nest overnight.


6:10


9:43 she went on the parent branch

[Liz01]

selfie by blue tit, grat tit or willow tit the light is bad and the bird was very fast

[Michi]

Hello everyone,
thank you, ame, for opening the new topic!
Many thanks, Liz, for all the news, pictures and videos!

So wonderful, that Gaja has managed the wintering and the dangerous journey back. Welcome home, Gaja!

Here the camera-link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pu2LYOnF44

Liz, maybe you can put the camera-link in your first posting or in ames first post?

[Liz01]

........
So wonderful, that Gaja has managed the wintering and the dangerous journey back.

Could it be, that Gaja is wintering in Spain? she is here very early again.

[Michi]

Could it be, that Gaja is wintering in Spain? she is here very early again.

Yes, she is early. One can not exclude that she was in Spain. GSE Tönn is also the only one of the tracked GSE who takes every year the western route. Maybe some storks do the same. Unfortunately we will never know it.

[Solo]

18:06 light nest work

Liz, I think Gaja has this black feather also on the other side

thanx for all news in this thread - great work (as always)

[Liz01]

Liz, I think Gaja has this black feather also on the other side
..........

I know it, Solo what extent changes on feathers take place, during the molt.
Some feathers are added. Rather, there are black feathers where white feathers used to be. Can this be? I don't know.

I saw it by Milda & Raimis. Some new dark feather are new.
EDIT: I will compare the springs on the left side of Gaja 2019 at some other time.

[Liz01]

16:34 arrival Male ? Kaupo????

Defending black stork in the nest. Could be also a female. I have to check my video
It is for sure a defending. Not a greeting.

she is very upset






EDIT: 11.04.2020 -this stork is a male

[Liz01]

It was Gaja! So there is the other female here again
black feather on the right




The game begins. I hope it doesn't get too bad.

[Michi]

Thank you for the new video and pictures, Liz!

I also hope for peace and no dangerous fights for the nest.

Just now, 18:53 nest time, there were cranes calling.