Nestwatch 2007 Archive
26 May - Will the egg hatch today?
26/05/07
This morning saw the beginnings of a subtle change in the behaviour of the adult bird. With 34 days since the first egg was laid, the possibility of the egg hatching was high.
During mid morning, the female suddenly began to stand up, and 'stare' at the eggs. There were also several dark 'spots' on one of the eggs.
She continued to watch the egg for a minute or so, then sat down again covering them. Shortly after this, she performed the same action. By this time, we thought the hatching was imminent. It wasn't!
Throughout the day, she continued with this behaviour – standing, moving the eggs, watching them, quite unsettled, and by about 4pm the dark patch of the egg was significantly larger than it had been earlier in the morning.
However, it was not to be. By 5.30pm, and with the female settled down yet again on the eggs we had to admit that the hatching was unlikely to happen any time soon. Visitors to the nestwatch were transfixed to the screen, all watching this 'mini-drama' unfold, and soon the Garden Store began to resemble the corridors of a hospital, with all of us acting like the expectant parent pacing up and down!
In previous nestwatches, egg laying hasn't been observed, and we have usually, to a point, had to guess within a day or two just when the eggs were laid. In spite of this, we were generally quite accurate with our guestimates! However, knowing the precise time the first egg was laid, 34 days ago, has provided us with a fascinating insight into the behaviour of the bird during the past day or so, with hatching imminent.
Watch this space!