Black Stork Webcam Discussion ~ Tiit & Tiina ~ 2014

[Liz01]

mating

[asteria]

Both are in the nest, Tiina sitting in the center.

[Riitta]

19:52 Mating.


19:52


A very active couple.

[andi7]

I think the red area around the eye, is the bare skin of the stork without plumage. While feathers develop over a year the size and shape of this red area could change. So we have to find other markings to decide, whether this male is Tiit or a new male.

[asteria]

I know, that they destroy eggs from other partners. Also female storks do that when they come to their nest, where already another female laid eggs. I have no information, how the males know, but they seem to know it somehow. I don't think that young storks don't know what eggs mean. Let's see what happens with the next egg.

Sometimes eggs are destroyed occasionally during fights between the males as it happened in 2008.

http://www.looduskalender.ee/ru/node/125

[Alex10100]

Hellem, Felis Silvestris, Irasa - thank you for answers!

[asteria]

Both storks in the nest, the picture is black and white. Tiina is standing on the left leg, Tiit on the right.

[Mutikluti]

http://www.looduskalender.ee/

It's in Estonian, I'm sure, soon will be translated this article in English too.

It's not Tiit. It is " Unknown male bird" ...

[Michi]

Good evening,
what wonderful news here! The long, long waiting has found an end.
I’m so happy, that Tiina finally has a partner. While I watched the video of the first meeting, I was moved to tears. It was so touching … marvellous and wonderful.

The discussion, if the male is Tiit or a strange guy, is interesting. After the first pictures, I’ve seen from the male, I was very sure, it wasn’t Tiit, - because of the eyes and because of Tiinas strange behavior the evening before. If it has been Tiit, he most likely would have come on the nest immediately.
In the meantime I’m not so sure. As here is already said, the eyes often look different, - depending on how the light is and the angle of view.

Exciting things are happening. . . New (?) partner, eggs are laid and destroyed. . . The season couldn’t start more enthralling. But who ever this guy may be, I wish both of these adorable Black Storks a happy and successful breeding.

Thank you so much everyone for all the gorgeous pictures, videos and comments.

21:39 It must be Tiina on the right side.


21:43


Tiina nibbles her mate very tenderly. After a while the male turns his head away.


Edit:
Oh, now we have a statement, - it is not Tiit.
That makes me a little sad, why we don’t know, if and maybe what has happened to Tiit.

Thank you, Mutikluti, for the information!

[asteria]

http://www.looduskalender.ee/ It's in Estonian, I'm sure, soon will be translated this article in English too. It's not Tiit. It is " Unknown male bird" ...

I didn't read the article yet but I see the author followed the link I gave here at 8.14 and placed the pic of Donna and Toomas from that page.

[Michi]

22:17 Someone is shouting a little bit, just very short.

22:29 Loud shouting, also short. Was that a mating in the dark?

Edit:
For a while every now and then a quiet rustling of feathers was to hear, - as if one of them grooms itself.
At about 23:45 I have heard a very quiet sigh.
Now, at 00:10, all is calm, no tone is to hear.

Sleep well, dear storks!

[NancyM]

21:39 It must be Tiina on the right side.

Michi

I am wondering why you think it must be Tiina on the right? One way we learned a few years ago on how to identify Tiina is that she has a little tuft of feathers that stand up on her head ♥ and the stork on the left has this.

The preening of one stork by another is very interesting to see, I have usually observed the male preen the female, but I guess it could be the other way around.

[NancyM]

April 19

4:55
It is just getting light on the nest, and many birds are singing in the forest. there are two huge "lumps" visible- perhaps both storks are there.

[Mixi]

Good morning all!

06:05

Preening...

[Liz01]

Good Morning to All


much moss

[baska]

We have dropped a line to Urmas yesterday, but unfortunately we know he is gone for some fieldwork and won't be available immediately. So we have to be patient for a little more and be happy that Tiina (and how are we sure it is the same Tiina as always?) has a mate and it looks good for a new nesting season right now. For the dwindling BS population in Estonia each productive nest is important, even it the owners are not Tiina and Tiit, but XY and AB!

That is very nice of you to drop a line to Urmas! Thank you. It is really a pity, he is not present currently.

But why shouldn't it be "our" Tiina suddenly???
There are some reasons being against:

First of all, we know that the storks always come back to their old nest.
There would have been fights if it wasn't Tiina.
It really would be a big coincidence if both storks wouldn't have come back!
The eye. In my opinion it is exactly the same eye.

Tiina 2012 . . Tiina today

[baska]

Tiina nibbles her mate very tenderly. After a while the male turns his head away. .....Oh, now we have a statement, - it is not Tiit.

Michi, you have pushed another button!
That is what I realized, too. Tiina is nibbling/crawling often her lover, but this doesn't happen often the other way round!
Tiit was very attentive to Tiina, and he used to nibbe/crawl her again and again!!

Very often I can't keep these both apart.
They look very similar and it's difficult to separate one from the other!
click it bigger, if you want

This never happened to me with Tiit. I knew immediately, who is who.

That is why I like Mutikluti's suggestion to call the new mate "Tauno".
That I will do from now on until it is irrevocably cleared up that this one is Tiit.

[asteria]

It is very easy on that picture at least. Look at their legs... Also: there is a trace of white of the male stork left shoulder, exactly at the place where Tiit's white feather was.

The exact proof that the male stork is not Tiit would be only Tiit's arrival. All the other signs are not too convincing at least for me.

[Mutikluti]

Good morning!

8.58
Both are here...

[vainamoinen]

Drumming of Three-toed woodpecker and voices of Nutcracker are heard now.