26 July 2022
Part1: ????
Yesterday evening I checked repeatedly to see if the female had left the nest – but each time she was sitting tight. There was no sign of the Vlei Rat that I had recorded earlier, but also no indication whether any of the eggs had hatched yet.
No sign of food in the nest this morning – but judging the amount of blood on the corner of the tower above the nest, the male made at least one food delivery last night.
I will try again today to confirm whether any of the eggs have hatched and let you all know.
Part 2: Two down . . . .
I had a chilly wait on the roof till just after 18:00up for the female to leave the nest and, when she flew down to the Tea Garden, I popped up the ladder to check on progress. It was too dark to see but when I tried to photograph the nest, the strobing focus beam illuminated what looked like a single egg. Oh no!!
I took a flash picture – and when I checked the image there were two tiny chicks in addition to the unhatched egg. Phew!!!!
I really thought that she had blown it!!
By Geoff Lockwood