Griffon Vulture Webcam in Israel

[Marbzy]

12:42 Dad makes a series of both persistent and ineffective attempts to press the feather down by the shaft - it keeps coming up again and again in response. Note that the part of Mom's right wing tag that is supposed to remain "inside" has been turned out


12:43 Dad finally makes some room for Mom


12:45 Dad's preening again as Mom is examining the chick

[Marbzy]

12:46 The chick launches his/her beak at Mom's ring


12:49 Dad is taking his time


12:51 The male off, the female resumes brooding without having fed the chick

[Marbzy]

12:52 What are you looking at?


13:37 There's been another change. Dad assumes the (now) familiar pose, albeit at a slightly different angle


13:49 Dad ensures that the chick stays in the shade

[Marbzy]

22:07 Dad's in for the night


The weather outlook for the next three days in the Negev Desert is rather bleak. A fair amount of rain is forecast, while air temperature is expected to drop to 12 degrees during the day on Friday (and below 10 at night). Let's hope the trio make it through this spell unscathed.

23:15 Good night

[Bea]

☼ ☼ ☼

Dad hat some ideas about family life in the afternoon



15:50


16:41


At this stage of breeding season I think it is a bonding ritual

[Bea]

☼ ☼ ☼

These reflecting eyes in night light always make me giggle

[Marbzy]

12 March

Perhaps not as rainy as had been expected, Thursday was definitely windy. The wind made the camera very unstable at times, and the feed was on and off in the afternoon. Towards the evening the weather seems to have improved.

Here's Mom at 11:43


12:38 A hunched lady and a (the?) gentleman's tail


12:40 The wind is playing with Mom's wing label

[Marbzy]

13:12 Mom sheltering the chick


15:10 Dad has replaced Mom, who is cleaning her beak


15:12 Here's one for the paparazzi

[Marbzy]

15:13 Dad steps aside, making room for Mom


15:15 The chick starts begging


15:18 Dinner's ready

[Marbzy]

15:19 I'm so little and sooo hungry


15:20 Some sunshine at last. The chick's crop is revealed...


15:21 This was taken just two seconds before the chick defecated (almost) out of the nest bowl - it may have been one of the first few occasions he/she has managed that

[Marbzy]

15:27 Dad's back home...


15:28 Mom allows him to take over...


15:29 And keeps cleaning her beak (and scratching her head?)

[Marbzy]

15:29 Then she walks away...


15:30 ... Dad examines the chck's crop...


16:00 ... and spends a few minutes with the little one

[Marbzy]

16:53 An hour later the chick is with Mom again


17:30 What does the night hold in store for us?


13 March

01:21 It's horrible weather out there right now.

01:42 You can just hear the rain (really heavy), but there's absolutely nothing to be seen

[Marbzy]

14:41 A day of new perspectives


14:42 Did those two have a tiff?


14:48 Find the eyrie

[Marbzy]

14:48 A not-so-gentle hint


14:49 A slightly closer look. Mom has been staying with the chick; Dad continues to look cross


15:34 A swallow (?) pays our couple a truly flying visit

[Marbzy]

16:28 Only one parent now with the chick


16:33 And it's Dad, actually


22:46 Is there anybody there?

[Marbzy]

Thanks, Bea, for the 11 March pictures and videos of copulation. On 26 February the male made a mating attempt which was almost instantly and rather angrily declined - the attempt was captured on video and may be watched on the site in which the live cam stream is embedded (it's the compilation video dated 3 March - the males antics start at around 1:45 of the video). Something seems to have changed over the two weeks which separate 26 February and 11 March.

Obviously, I've got some reading to do here,but I can't help wondering: could there be any chance whatsoever that the couple are entertaining the idea of raising another chick in another nest? In a few weeks the chick in this nest will not require round-the-clock care and attention. Were the female to be able to produce another egg (how long is it between copulation and egg-laying?), it could hatch with the current chick not too far from fledging. It takes only one adult at a time to incubate an egg, so perhaps after a new egg is laid, the chick hatched in February could then be supported by the adult not on incubating duty at any given moment...

Or is this idea plain heresy?

[Marbzy]

23:27 A little unexpectedly, a much clearer view is offered

[Bea]

☼ ☼ ☼

Today in the afternoon, during rain, cam showed that it has a wiper

[Marbzy]

14 March

This has been another windy day. Here's Mom with a few ruffled feathers at 12:50


As is usually the case, I missed Dad's arrival, the change, and Mom's departure

13:02 Lunchtime (it's meatballs)


13:03 The meal is drawing to a close


A new observation: the chick was able to pick (and peck) up some food that had dropped to the floor. Previously, such items had to be collected by the adult and passed on to the little one beak-to-beak.