THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011



I finally got the record of the dates these eggs were laid.

First egg -- May 10
Second egg -- May 13
Third egg -- May 17

6:02 am
Today is day 37 for the first egg.

Mom is on the nest preening her back feathers.


6:07 am
Mom is up for an egg roll and everything is still intact.

6:57 am
Dad brought Mom a small pumpkinseed fish and she was instantly up to greet him and claim the fish.


6:58 am
Mom flew off with her fish.
Dad has a piece of weeds stuck to his talon and he's walking around the nest trying to remove it.


7:01 am
Whatever was on his foot is gone now.
It took him awhile but he is finally giving the eggs a roll and settling over them.

7:04 am
Mom returned.


7:07 am
Mom has been walking around the nest chattering the entire time. Dad appears to be ignoring her while he's on the eggs. Now she has decided to walk an entire circle around him but he's still not leaving.


7:11 am
Mom got tired of trying to entice Dad off the eggs so she finally flew off.

6:58 am
Dad comes home with something - Mum, all excited got up and took it off him.
Didn't look like a fish- could it have been a large frog?
Any way - she took off leaving Dad to take over.
He took a long time to settle on the eggs - seems to be reluctant to put his left foot down!


7:02 am
Mum comes back - with a lot to say - but Dad isn't getting up!
I want a translation.

She walks right around the sitting Dad twice - talking all the way!

7:09 am
she finally gives up and takes off to the right.

Good Morning Pat --- it was a fish. I actually caught a glimpse of it just before Dad landed but it had to be one of the smallest I've ever seen him deliver.

7:33 am
Parents switched.
Mom is now on the nest again.

7:43 am
Dad is home again.


He may have brought a piece of odd looking bark/weed which Mom managed to push further from the bowl area.


7:49 am
Dad flew off after lots of squawking from Mom.

8:13 am
Dad is home with another stick for the rim


8:15 am
Dad flew off. Mom always chatters at him until he leaves the nest -- poor guy isn't as appreciated as he'd like to be.