CA / San Jose - 2009-15

[Kinderchick]

Not a nice question to ask but perhaps Tracey would be able to answer this.  Do the parent/parents remove the deceased wee one from the nest or does someone have to intervene and remove it.  So sad!  They are such cuties, all fluffy and white.

Interesting question, Ellie, because I was actually wondering the same thing. So thanks for your attempt to answer Ellie's question, TPC because you also answered it for me as well as others, I am sure.

[The Peregrine Chick]

It can be one or the other.  The adults do remove deceased chicks (depending on size in my experience).  I have heard anecdotally of dead chicks being fed to siblings but I've never seen anything like that ... and my question would be, if a chick dies, would an adult trust feeding it to its siblings.  That and peregrines don't practice siblicide or infanticide so I'm not sure it's a normal response to cannibalize their own young - but I admit its just outside my area of knowledge/experience.  As for outsiders removing chicks, I've done it before - both before and after we had the FalconCam.  I can't think of any other times that a chick was missing from the nest without my having removed it from the box.

Know that doesn't really answer your question Ellie, best I've got for you though ....

[Ellie]

Not a nice question to ask but perhaps Tracey would be able to answer this.  Do the parent/parents remove the deceased wee one from the nest or does someone have to intervene and remove it.  So sad!  They are such cuties, all fluffy and white.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Fourth egg laid on 17 March 2010.
Clara & Esteban Colbert are in "hard" incubation at this point.

What exactly is meant by "hard" incubation, TPC?  

peregrines don't begin incubating typically until the second last egg is laid.  If it's colder they may start an egg earlier, a little warmer/hot maybe not until last egg laid.  Hard incubation is when the eggs are being incubated 24/7.  If very warm, even during hard incubation incubating adult will get off the egg for short periods of time.  

[allikat]

Awwwww, that's really sad.

[bcbird]

Oh, that is sad. 
Something else must have been going on then, besides being hatched late?

[kittenface]

Its just been posted the little one didn't make it

[Kinderchick]

Fourth egg laid on 17 March 2010.
Clara & Esteban Colbert are in "hard" incubation at this point.

What exactly is meant by "hard" incubation, TPC? 

[carly]

Yes, I did see four little cuties in chick pile.

Yay...hope the little guy is okay 

[RCF]

Yes, I did see four little cuties in chick pile.

[carly]

I was watching a parent feeding them at 6pm and all three had very full crops.

But there is four of them?  Did you see the little one?

[RCF]

I was watching a parent feeding them at 6pm and all three had very full crops.

[carly]

Could be bcbird.  I was going but what others said..my bad, they made it sound like he was on deaths door so I was afraid to look.  The photo I saw, he looked funny shaped but perhaps I was letting other opinions influence me.  I'm glad they posted an update and are sounding a bit more optomistic than the armchair critics 

[bcbird]

I wonder, could it be the age and size difference that is what doesn't look right.  

From the San Jose Nest Diary 2010:

April 16, 2010:  We have three babies that are six days old and one that is three days old. The smallest one requires less food than older siblings so will not require many bites to grow. Given adequate food delivery to the nest ledge, all will do fine.

Parent is partially off the chicks and looking around, perhaps partner is due for feeding time?   There is one chick in front less active than the others, but otherwise it is a squirmy chickpile.  The cam is being zoomed is right now.

[Alison]

I am sorry to hear this, Carly. I last checked this site two days ago, and wasn't able to catch Clara off the chicks. There was only a partial view of one chick under her at that time.

Hoping for the best here, but it doesn't sound good.