The nest is empty.
About 12:33, another falcon lands on the ledge. The runt attacks it, and they both topple off the ledge.
About 12:40 the other falcon reappears, looking a little dishevelled and claims the food the runt was defending.
I have no subsequent news on the runt.
Wait, what? Only the Runt visible?
I missed something.
Meanwhile, atop 367 Collins Street, not a lot is happening. The chicks are fully fledged now, with just a few fluffs of down, mostly on top of their heads.
They spend a while each day flapping their wings. Can't be long now before they try them out in earnest.
<Mordor Orc voice> INSPEK-SHUN! </>
1, 2, uhhh, what comes next? Meh, one head over. Near enough.
Drama in the nest this morning. Dad had been eating at one end, then around 5:12 lolloped to the other end. Much discussion. Mum flies away, a few minutes later Dad goes back to his end to finish his meal, eventually flies away.
Hungry chicks engage in mock-feeding and stacks-on-the-mill (it was a cold morning). Near 6:08, one jumps out of the nest into the gutter, looks for food. 6:12 the others follow. Much flapping of stubby wings. 6:15, all climb into the nest.
1/2
Thinking to myself that a benign use of AI would be to fast forward over hundreds of hours of video recordings to keep track of each of the falcon chicks - their growth, their squabbles.
There's one chick that's larger than the others. Is it from the first egg or a later egg? I don't know. Also, there appears to be a definite runt.
Graphic images! You have been warned.
Watching falcon chicks squirting poop energetically out of their nest. A few minutes back. As they do.
The chicks are growing fast, and appear to be developing darker feathers on their backs.
Mum goes away, kids start quarrelling. (Yeah, yeah, news at 11.)
Mother falcon flies off on an errand. Within a minute or so one chick starts flopping its head to one side or another of a sibling's neck, apparently trying to see something. Sibling gets peeved. Face-off ensues, nest seethes, but settles down without apparent bloodshed.
Mum is back now and all is well in the nest.
Chicks: "HONNGREE"
Mama: "Just taking the trash out, won't be a minute ..."
[~1 m 25 s later] Now where was I? Oh yes. [Lollops over to inspect the nest, where in the meantime one chick has fallen asleep but the other is still hungry. Stomps the hole deeper, rakes everything together, droops her wings and flomps down.]
The falcon bebes have hatched!
[Apparently. While I've been watching mama has been obscuring the view.]
~~we want to see the babies~~
#falcon #Melbourne #367Collins #367CollinsFalcons
https://www.youtube.com/live/VLLNNTjaSEA?si=CqPYWdWVzBNiaHqO
Greg Hills
Xisca