Yes, there are 5 eggs I recorded a video at 11:29am (PDT) this morning; I think it was Dad incubating. He got up, stretched, rolled the eggs, picked at nesting material, looked like he was squawking at something, rolled the eggs again and settled to resume incubating.

5 eggs

A few s'caps taken from the video, courtesy Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Great pictures of the 5 eggs! I have read that they can have 6 in a clutch!! I wonder if that will happen??

Thanks for the video Kay!

I'm amazed at how hard they seem to plop down on those eggs and them be OK. But I guess with those long legs, it's not easy to gently glide down on top of 5 eggs! During the time I was watching this morning, it seemed Dad couldn't get comfortable and kept standing up and rearranging himself on top of the eggs. OR he thought he was dreaming and couldn't believe there's really 5 of them!

PE, I think if Mom lays any more eggs, Dad is going to pass out!

6:50PM--Dad is sitting on the eggs and is really wiggly. I think he is having a bit of a problem sitting on those 5 eggs.

'Wiggly' is a good word for how he's trying to keep the eggs covered...and be comfortable himself.

Have you guys noticed the calls they make? I had the cam minimized while I was watching another cam and heard what sounded like barking. I flipped on the GBH cam to see what the ruckus was about...and Mom and Dad were greeting each other. Holy moly! They sounded just like a couple of hound dogs barking!

SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

All images copyright Cornell Lab of Ornithology

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012

Howdy!

I meant to post this Sunday morning, but with all the Easter stuff going on, I forgot.

Around 4:20AM EDT Sunday, something got too close to the nest, and Mom went into action. She was up, off the nest and on the branch to the right center in a flash. No one knows if it could have been an owl or other bird going after the eggs, but Mom lost her nuptial plumes (the 2 long feathers) on her head. The plumes were there while she was resting, but after the intruder alert, when she came back to the nest bowl, they were gone. (Cornell is supposed to review the tapes to see if they can tell what exactly happened) There were 2 attacks on the nest Sunday morning, both of which Mom thwarted. No one is sure where Dad was during all this, but Mom handled it alone.

This s'cap is about 30 minutes after all settled down...and she's still puffed up and on alert. Notice her nuptial plumes are missing.



I missed it, but I read on chat another attack happened about 24 hours later on Monday morning.

I'm thinking a GBH on the nest incubating eggs is nothing to mess with! Especially mama!

ETA...

Just checked the chat and a mod posted the video of the first and second attacks...by a Great Horned Owl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBGYPQKt ... e=youtu.be

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

All images copyright Cornell Lab of Ornithology