[in the hills]

Yes [member=4333]Fleecewife[/member] ..... the crunching sounds!!!!!


Daughter mentioned these. Makes you wonder if the parents fidgeting sort of crushes/weakens shells to help them out?

[Fleecewife]

Could be.  The shells are all crunched up now that all four chicks have hatched (mid afternoon). One popped out of the duvet this evening and is completely dry and fluffy, so I expect they will leave with the adult tomorrow

[in the hills]

Says on FB that the ornithologist will be trying to ring them this morning.


We might see that on the cam.

[Penninehillbilly]

Just been watching for a few minutes, facing camera, is very vocal, then a chick came out of the grass behind her(?) ?

[Fleecewife]

Just been watching for a few minutes, facing camera, is very vocal, then a chick came out of the grass behind her(?) ?

They've been scattering in all directions all morning - it's terrifying    The big drawback of precocial chicks I suppose.  All the calling is trying to keep them together and draw them back to the nest.  Right now - 1228 - the nest is empty and even the adult (female I think) has flown off.
I'm wondering if the reason they keep the eggshells in the nest, and crush them down to become part of the nest structure is to give the chicks somewhere smelly to come home to if the parent isn't there.

Good luck with trying to ring them - they're everywhere and nowhere 

[in the hills]

It's amazing how quickly they're up and running! Bit scary ? though.


You can see why they are so vulnerable!

[Fleecewife]

Totally terrifying!  I had to turn back to the calm and practiced ospreys at Loch Arkaig just to get my BP and pulse back to normal 

[arobwk]

@ 11:45 today I only saw 3 chicks one of which decided to go walk about, exit top right.  Oh!  so I hung on for 10mins or so while parent called to it.  Then chick enters frame bottom left.  I assumed it was the same chick having circumnavigated the nest, but perhaps it was the 4th chick returning from its own perambulations !?

Would have been nice to see them all disperse later, but heh ho.

As to eggshells remaining in the nest, I would guess that there's no point in removing if the nest is going to be abandoned in such a short time after hatching !?

[Fleecewife]

All gone.  Good luck little chicks.

[Penninehillbilly]

Off the cam topic, but saw someone across the fields, on footpath, but big black dog running about curlew area. Sooo frustrating, heard curlews calling when he was out of sight, dont know whether dog disturbed them or not.
Why are people so uncaring about our wildlife.

[Fleecewife]

Off the cam topic, but saw someone across the fields, on footpath, but big black dog running about curlew area. Sooo frustrating, heard curlews calling when he was out of sight, dont know whether dog disturbed them or not.
Why are people so uncaring about our wildlife.

See how few people even though they are smallholders, are interested enough to post in and read the 'wildlife' section of TAS.  People will pay thousands to go on safari in Africa or to some remote island, but seem to think our own wonderful wildlife is mundane or irrelevant.  Yes, it's really sad, this lack of interest.  I really think the people you saw with the dog might not have realised there was wildlife around - heavens, so many folk still think sheep are provided in the countryside as exercise for their chasing dogs.  There are more and more films and programmes for people to watch about wildlife, including British creatures, but the worry is there'll be none left by the time everyone catches on.
Not a wildlife story, but Mr F still gets furious if he remembers the time he saw a woman driver deliberately swerve her car in order to hit and squash a domestic duck which was in the road.  Imagine doing that    For me, the vast majority of humanity is totally beyond my understanding.

[Penninehillbilly]

With you there about the vast majority  FW, got it in a nutshell
but the woman driver !!!! Sick.


Hope the curlew chicks are OK
Wondering if we have some nesting in our top field, they were there and calling as it was getting dark tonight, amazingly, and embarrassingly,  they are now a 'background noise unless I stop what I'm doing for a minute, I hear the lapwings and pheasants, but only just twigged I often hear the curlews up there as well, so used to thinking of them in the bottom fields.
Trouble is the field slopes up to the skyline, then levels off out of sight. Tenant put his cattle in a few days ago, hope all the birds are OK.

[Steph Hen]

Heard a curlew flying over yesterday. First one since last year, sLund caught me by surprise :-)

[Fleecewife]

With you there about the vast majority  FW, got it in a nutshell
but the woman driver !!!! Sick.


Hope the curlew chicks are OK
Wondering if we have some nesting in our top field, they were there and calling as it was getting dark tonight, amazingly, and embarrassingly,  they are now a 'background noise unless I stop what I'm doing for a minute, I hear the lapwings and pheasants, but only just twigged I often hear the curlews up there as well, so used to thinking of them in the bottom fields.
Trouble is the field slopes up to the skyline, then levels off out of sight. Tenant put his cattle in a few days ago, hope all the birds are OK.

Oh no - those huge feet would trample the nest flat.    the chicks are up and away 

[Penninehillbilly]

I read somewhere that animals tend not to tread on nests, hoping that's true  . We do tend to be a bit later with things up here, so if those in Wales have only just hatched, ours may be still sitting.