mystery falcon at columbus site

[Bird Crazy]

 so is he still a mystery man or has he been id and I missed it?

[Annette]

so is he still a mystery man or has he been id and I missed it?

The male is unbanded.

[Annette]

Scout has now three eggs.

[MAK]

        3 thumbsup for 3 eggs!   

[Donna]

Scout has now three eggs.

Wow, she's shootin them out quick. Beauty and Scout laid their first egg the same day and now she's 1  up...hmmm

[Annette]

I have an egg question:

Three eggs and a stone or four eggs?
It is difficult to seen for me.

[Donna]

4 eggs Annette, 1 was laid today...was 3 this am.

[Donna]

I have an egg question:

Three eggs and a stone or four eggs?
It is difficult to seen for me.

As of midday today, 4/14/10, there are now 4 eggs in the nest. So far, Scout has not been very focused on incubation duty. This lack of attention won't hurt the eggs as they will remain in limbo until they receive consistent heat through incubation. However, it will make estimating a hatch date a little tricky...

The new egg looks like it is lacking pigment on the end, or maybe is stained with feces. The other end in the shadows looks odd also, almost like it could be broken. However, if the egg is cracked it's very likely the falcons would have removed it from the nest. Or not(!). All we can do is continue to watch and monitor the situation to see how it plays out.

from the site

[Annette]

As of midday today, 4/14/10, there are now 4 eggs in the nest. So far, Scout has not been very focused on incubation duty. This lack of attention won't hurt the eggs as they will remain in limbo until they receive consistent heat through incubation. However, it will make estimating a hatch date a little tricky...

The new egg looks like it is lacking pigment on the end, or maybe is stained with feces. The other end in the shadows looks odd also, almost like it could be broken. However, if the egg is cracked it's very likely the falcons would have removed it from the nest. Or not(!). All we can do is continue to watch and monitor the situation to see how it plays out.

from the site

Thank you for answer.

[Donna]

State Office Tower in Columbus, Ohio.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Incubation on track!
Well, it seems that Scout is now focused on incubation. It is possible there could be another egg, but four is the normal clutch size. We were able to get a better look at the egg laid yesterday and it appears to be intact, just lacking pigment on both ends. It's likely just a "cosmetic defect" and the egg should develop normally.

What to expect during incubation...? For the most part it will be watching a bird sit on rocks - basically, one of the adults will be on the eggs almost 24/7 for the next +/-33 days to keep them at a consistent temperature for development of the embryo. In general, not too dramatic! Scout will assume most of the incuation duty, while Trooper's role is to provide her food and take her place on the eggs while she eats.

However, we can expect some variation in the action: combine a south-facing ledge with unusually warm temperatures and there will be times, especially on bright sunny days, that Scout won't be as tight on the eggs, in fact, she may even shade them. This is to prevent the eggs from being too warm. In past years she has rolled them to a different location within the box and then back to the main scrape. So, there will be some different behaviors to watch for over the next several weeks.

[Donna]

State Office Tower in Columbus, Ohio.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
The Forgotten Egg...?!
More and more we are noticing that Scout seems to be "forgetting" about the egg that lacks pigment. Oftentimes it has been left out at her side and not incubated while the other eggs are warm beneath her. This afternoon it is even cast off to the side away from the others. We can't say for certain what is going on, but I suspect that because the pigment it did have seems to have faded, it could indicate a “dead� egg. If the egg is infertile or the embryo has died then it isn’t developing as the others and so it would be a different weight/mass then the other eggs. This would make it not “roll� the same as the other eggs. The adults would be able to pick up on this difference when they are moving the eggs and settling down on them. It will be very interesting to see if it hatches but if it continues to be left out and off to the side it doesn't look promising. At least we can assume that the other 3 eggs are doing well!

[Donna]

Incubation in total takes around 33 days. We are in the final days before hatch, however, it was difficult to predict when the birds actually began setting full time so I don't have an exact date to expect hatch. My best estimate is that hatch will occur between May 16-19th. Keep in mind this is only a prediction and so could be off. Don't be surprised if hatch begins earlier and don't panic if hatch is late!

Beauty laid her 1st egg right after Scout, so we'll see if we have LOTS of hatches from the 16th on...or earlier. Funny, both had pale eggs too. They are both pretty much in sync with laying and hatching.

[Donna]

No hatch here yet that I can see. Scout and Beauty are neck N neck as far as egg laying. So both should be around the same time.

[Donna]

2 hatches today at Columbus..1 to go. She's a day behind Beauty.

2 babies

[Donna]

 Final Count: Two Chicks - Two Unhatched Eggs
The chicks aren't even a week old and they have already more than doubled in size. It is amazing how fast they grow! The nestbox is starting to get a little messy with feces. Soon, they will be pooping on the front of the camera housing and it may block our view. However, if the chicks stay towards the east end of the nestbox where they have been lately then perhaps the camera will stay cleaner longer!

There was concern yesterday that one of the chicks was "caught" at the rear of the box. Despite whatever was going on--if anything--all seems fine now.
If any of the remaining eggs were going to hatch, they would have by now. Scout may continue to brood them along with the chicks but as time goes on and the chicks continue to grow, the unhatched eggs will eventually be moved aside. It is possible the adults may even remove them from the nest.

She's right up there with Beauty...2 hatched and 2 unhatched.