Two Questions

[DoggyMom]

1) Someone wrote on the 'blog' that appears with the Ustream video that it's more difficult for Beauty and Archer to hunt when it is hot b/c it is more exhausting and because their prey tend to seek cover from the heat making them harder to find. If we continue to have this hot weather are the babies at risk?

2) At what point will Beauty and Archer be able to stop direct feeding of the eyas, i.e. when can they drop the food on the nest and the little ones will be able to peck and tear and feed off them by themselves?

[Donna]

1) Someone wrote on the 'blog' that appears with the Ustream video that it's more difficult for Beauty and Archer to hunt when it is hot b/c it is more exhausting and because their prey tend to seek cover from the heat making them harder to find. If we continue to have this hot weather are the babies at risk?

2) At what point will Beauty and Archer be able to stop direct feeding of the eyas, i.e. when can they drop the food on the nest and the little ones will be able to peck and tear and feed off them by themselves?

It may be more difficult because of the heat but they will prevail. M & K had no problems hunting in the heat...there was always enough food. They cache some also for this reason...like Jim P just said, "Beauty found some cached food and fed the babies". I have never seen any eyas go without in the 7 yrs I've been watching. As far as feeding themselves..that's a long way off. Even when they look like they are ready to fledge, some need assistance from mom and dad....others will tear into it. It's a matter of who really wants it more.

[valhalla]

1) Someone wrote on the 'blog' that appears with the Ustream video that it's more difficult for Beauty and Archer to hunt when it is hot b/c it is more exhausting and because their prey tend to seek cover from the heat making them harder to find. If we continue to have this hot weather are the babies at risk?

2) At what point will Beauty and Archer be able to stop direct feeding of the eyas, i.e. when can they drop the food on the nest and the little ones will be able to peck and tear and feed off them by themselves?

It may be more difficult because of the heat but they will prevail. M & K had no problems hunting in the heat...there was always enough food. They cache some also for this reason...like Jim P just said, "Beauty found some cached food and fed the babies". I have never seen any eyas go without in the 7 yrs I've been watching. As far as feeding themselves..that's a long way off. Even when they look like they are ready to fledge, some need assistance from mom and dad....others will tear into it. It's a matter of who really wants it more.

You know, while I was watching and reading some of the chatter, I sat perfectly calm, as these two have been getting fed pretty regularly and they are always caching food.  I guess Beauty wanted them to be really ready for lunch.

[MAK]

1) Someone wrote on the 'blog' that appears with the Ustream video that it's more difficult for Beauty and Archer to hunt when it is hot b/c it is more exhausting and because their prey tend to seek cover from the heat making them harder to find. If we continue to have this hot weather are the babies at risk?

2) At what point will Beauty and Archer be able to stop direct feeding of the eyas, i.e. when can they drop the food on the nest and the little ones will be able to peck and tear and feed off them by themselves?

It may be more difficult because of the heat but they will prevail. M & K had no problems hunting in the heat...there was always enough food. They cache some also for this reason...like Jim P just said, "Beauty found some cached food and fed the babies". I have never seen any eyas go without in the 7 yrs I've been watching. As far as feeding themselves..that's a long way off. Even when they look like they are ready to fledge, some need assistance from mom and dad....others will tear into it. It's a matter of who really wants it more.

Good answers piglet!   

[Lord G]

I'd be surprised if falcons had any sense of their own metabolism or that of their offspring.  Feeding doesn't stop because it gets hot outside.  Basically they eat when food is available; the environment has little to do with it (beyond contributing to the overall abundance of prey in the area).