West Winnipeg - 2014 / Beau & Beatrix

[RCF]

Wonderful!! 

[The Peregrine Chick]

First hatches (2) for Beatrix and Beau.  Chick one hatched overnight, chick two at 0430h this morning.

Mom's figuring out how to feed the little darlings - Beau just keeps bringing her the food.  She won't let him feed but he does get to hang around, which he hasn't been able to do with Jules since 2010.

[GCG]

So looking forward to the WW chicks.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Unlike the nestbox at the Radisson where the afternoons are the warmest part of the day, the configuration of this box means that the by noon, most of the West Wpg nestbox will be shady and it is protected on 3 sides from the wind - which is good for the chicks because this is a very windy site.  Looks like Beatrix was on all night, Beau came in at 0615h and then she returned to sit on the wall beside him for an hour before she pushed him out again at 0738h just as the rising sun was starting to fill the nestbox.  It's 1055h now and where the eggs are is mostly out of the sun and she is standing over the eggs having a bit of a preen.  It's starting to cloudy over too, so not so much direct sunlight into the box.

[GCG]

1045h - Shift change, Beau is now incubating the eggs.  These two sure look like they have been doing for longer than 4 weeks! 

Will be interesting to see how they do once the eggs hatch - first time for her but he's much more involved this year with the day-to-day stuff than he has been in the past - Jules used to velcroed to the kids except in the dark of the night, Beau used to handle graveyard shift when she'd let him.  There appears to be a much more equitable division of labour this year - day and night!

Beatrix learned from her Mom, and Princess would be so proud of her. 

[GCG]

Great photos dupre......love the outstretched wing shot of Beatrix!!  

Ditto from me, Beatrix (Smokestack)  is certainly a beauty.

[The Peregrine Chick]

1045h - Shift change, Beau is now incubating the eggs.  These two sure look like they have been doing for longer than 4 weeks! 

Will be interesting to see how they do once the eggs hatch - first time for her but he's much more involved this year with the day-to-day stuff than he has been in the past - Jules used to velcroed to the kids except in the dark of the night, Beau used to handle graveyard shift when she'd let him.  There appears to be a much more equitable division of labour this year - day and night!

[RCF]

Great photos dupre......love the outstretched wing shot of Beatrix!!  

[dupre501]

And one of Beau...

Are you watching me eat?!

[dupre501]

Two pictures of Beatrix taken a few days ago.

 

[The Peregrine Chick]

We checked the nestbox on Friday and both Beau and Beatrix looking be doing a good job there - 4 eggs, nice clean nestsite and well-defended by both of them in a really nice choreographed routine.  They rarely get disturbed at this site so they haven't had much opportunity to practice so yet another hint that these two could be a really good pair in the future if they manage to stick together in the future.  I'm always interested in how the pairs do each year, both with each other and their chicks, but I'm particularly interested in this pair - they just seem so right together, almost more so than Beau and Jules did, more a partnership than a dictatorship 

[dupre501]

We were checking out the site yesterday afternoon/evening (6 o'clock-ish). Spotted Beatrix on the south side of the Diner in the sun. She then took off so we decided to swing around to check out the east side of the Diner, but before we got very far she was back on the south side of the Diner. Watched her for a couple of minutes and off she went again. This time I was able to see that she went off to check the nest box. So we set off to check out the nest box, when we got to a good vantage point she was sitting on the wall looking out at us. Still getting sun, but keeping a close eye on the eggs as well.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Hopefully this weekend with warmer weather we may see the birds more as the eggs bask in the warmth. Assuming the nestbox gets sun. Does the nestbox get sun? 

It does get sun, but not all day - if you can remember 2010, the box has the same orientation.  If the air is warm enough, they don't need to be in the sun, the warm air will be enough.  The box is sheltered, so even if there is a breeze or wind, they won't be affected by that.  The box is tucked down on the roof to protect them from the wind so we put a ledge along one side so the chicks when they want out of the box have two choices - the ramp onto the roof and on this ledge and from the ledge they can (if they want) hop up on the wall edge.  Why am I mentioning this now?  Because it seems that Beatrix likes to sit on this ledge and look out and over the edge of the roof whereas Beau and Jules have only ever sat on the wall facing in.  Different strokes for different birdies. 

[dupre501]

In the past several visits to the site, my husband and I have seen Beau once.

We figured that incubation must be in full swing with one bird on the eggs and the other away hunting and/or getting away from it all for a short time.

Hopefully this weekend with warmer weather we may see the birds more as the eggs bask in the warmth. Assuming the nestbox gets sun. Does the nestbox get sun?

[The Peregrine Chick]

All is very quiet at this site so they are definitely in the incubation groove.  Beau used to be impossible to spot after the first 10 days of incubation - haven't seen him in days - might just be my timing or it might be wonderful news.  I'm hoping for both!