Goshawk Nests in Riga 2025

[Polly]

17:46 H44 brings food and leaves his family rather quickly.


Pērle feeds until 17:58
The auks are very confident, and there's the first clever game of tug-of-war.


Pērle carries a small amount of leftovers to the opposite area, and we can see H44 following her into the tree.

[Polly]

Pērle returns, cleans the nest bowl, and finds a leg (?) of the food carcass. She carries it around the nest and gnaws off a few more bites. Meanwhile, H44 is already bringing more food.




Pērle feeds again.
The dwarfs are being fattened...

18:11 Pērle stops feeding and carries the rest out of the nest.

[Polly]

18:12 And once again, H44 is bringing food to the nest.
It looks like the piece that Pērle took away a minute ago.


Pērle carries it right back out of the nest, and H44 is back to daddy time.


He doesn't approach the bundles of joy. He keeps his distance.

Daddy time is over when Pērle returns.

[Polly]

19:59 Pērle leaves the nest.
The pair can be heard singing together...

She returns to the chicks with a green pine branch with cones.


They are all gathered and covered again...

...well, almost.

[Polly]

21:45 Pērle leaves the nest again, and the chicks huddle together.


21:47 She returns with food over the lower side branch and then jumps up into the nest.


The little darlings are fed again.


21:52 The day now comes to an end.
The feeding is over, and the food remains in the nest.

[Polly]

Good evening everyone!

Emiliano found an observation by (Arnis?) Zacmanis.
Yesterday evening, H44 was seen feeding. About 3 km from his first breeding nest and 1 km from the current breeding site with his new partner, Pērle.

The area is near a lake and a pit.


☆
https://dabasdati.lv/en/observation/4ea ... 9f6081680/

Emiliano, thank you!
You're a sweetheart!!!

By the way, it explains why Pērle was so wet last night.
I didn't document it, but Pērle appeared wet at the nest while H44 was watching over the chicks.

There are bathtubs in the area. How nice!!!
Maybe they meet there occasionally?

[Polly]

May 12th

04:54 - 05:01 Pērle leaves the nest.


The little darlings are active at first, but then quickly cuddle up together.


Pērle returns, and it takes a while until even the last little bottom finds space beneath her.

[Polly]

06:20 Pērle leaves the nest again and returns with food.


It takes a while for the bundle of joy to unravel. Then they stand in a row.

Some of them change their perch. The little one crawls energetically behind its siblings from the far right to the far left.


Another follows suit.


In the end, everyone has eaten well.

[Polly]

8:30 Time for second breakfast.


Pērle returns with energy and food.
Well, serving food isn't exactly her strong suit...





....

[Polly]

....

However, Pērle feeds very patiently.
It's a long feeding, almost 30 minutes.
With a tug-of-war.




Pērle seems to leave the remaining food in the nest. Probably in the nest bowl. It's not really visible, but she doesn't carry anything out either.

Pērle climbs to the very end of the side branch and then returns.

[Polly]

Pērle gets to the bottom of things again.

She cleans the nest bowl and flings out soft nesting material.


At 10:29 she jumps into the neighboring branch and doesn't return until 10:44.
She fiddles around a bit more and then stays with the chicks.

[Polly]

15:48 Pērle leaves (running) the nest and returns via the side branch with food.




Feeding until 16:16

[Polly]

After Pērle has eaten one leg of the prey, she carries another piece outside.


Meanwhile, H44 is already bringing more. He puts it down and approaches his chicks. But he keeps his distance.


16:18 Pērle returns with a sharp voice.
H44 leaves the nest.

[Polly]

Then Pērle becomes active again...
She gnaws on the food that H44 brought and begins pecking in the nest. Pērle finds something, a remnant of food, and carries it out.




She returns with a green pine branch and now carries out the new food as well.

Pērle returns again with a pine branch.

And she finds something else that she takes out of the nest.
Skin, intestines?

[Polly]

18:25 H44 walks into the nest with food and out the other side.
He still has feathers on his beak. So the food carcass is well prepared again.




Nevertheless, the big feeding still doesn't happen. Everyone is full and sluggish.

[Polly]

19:55 Pērle calls with a begging calls.

'56 H44 rushes into the nest with food.




Feeding until 20:09
Pērle places the food on the edge of the nest and returns to the chicks.

[Polly]

Sleep well!

[Polly]

May 13th


Everyone is still a little sleepy.


04:44 - 46 Pērle leaves the nest for her first flight.


Yesterday's food is in the nest. Pērle decides that it's time to stop feeding yet.

[Polly]

Feeding 05:29 - 42




H44 chirps nearby.
Pērle removes the remaining food from the nest. Her heated calls can be heard again outside. Not mating, but it sounds like it.

She returns with a pine branch, gathers up some fallen food scraps, and eats most of them. She removes one from the nest. She brings another pine branch.

[Polly]

07:21 H44 calls with his bright voice, and Pērle follows his calls.

She returns with food.
Feeding continues until 07:36

Whatever is left over and Pērle doesn't eat herself ...


... she carries back out of the nest.


The mating sounds again.
Perhaps the pair is renewing/strengthening their bond?

Pērle leaves the nest again and brings another lush pine branch.

She lays it back and forth, bends it, squeezes it...it just doesn't fit anywhere. So the pine branch ends up on the outside edge of the nest.