06 October 2022
All present and correct.
Yesterday morning when I checked the nest, the chicks were both under the box; the female was around the back of the nest under the roof overhang, and the new clutch of three eggs was lying right against the back of the box.
I later saw an adult (probably the male) roosting in the Mountain Karee foliage overhanging the parapet at the back of the Centre. It was very obscured however and, as the female had moved from her spot at the back of the box, I couldn’t be sure that it was the male.
I checked again at 17:00 and found the female on the lower roof under the Function Room overhang and there was a chick in the nest, plus another underneath. I climbed out onto the roof to get a better view of the adult at the back of the Centre and was able to confirm that it was the male – so all good. More good news is that in the past few evenings the chicks have not started giving their wheezy begging calls until they move away from the nest and they seem to be getting enough food at the moment.
By Geoff Lockwood