Dave and all. I was quietly readying my emails with the storks in the "background" (cam opened and minimized) when I suddenly heard a very loud racket and, sure enought, just as Dave said, in came an adult with food for the kids....about 9:20 am our time. I won't describe what I saw as Dave as done a nice job of it and it was exactly as he described. And there were two feeding as the adult regurgitated twice...the first offering was difficult to see as his/her beak was blocked by the excited kids. The second offering was visible and looked like a small pile of ??? Very cool. Pete Saracino
On 7/5/2015 6:06 AM, Dave Nutter wrote: > A few days ago my Stefhan Ohlström sent me this link to a site with > several nest-cams in Latvia, which is east across the Baltic Sea from > the southern part of his native Sweden. > https://www.eenet.ee/EENet/kaamerad > Some of the nests were already empty, which may also be why some > cameras were not streaming, but the BLACK STORK nest is still active: > https://www.eenet.ee/EENet/melnais-starkis > This species was unfamiliar to me. I haven't traveled to its range. My > books tell me it's more uncommon, shy, and solitary than the familiar > rooftop-nesting White Stork of open farmland. The Black Stork > "frequents lakes, rivers and marshes surrounded by woods." > > The broad platform nest is in a huge tree within forest. There are 2 > nestlings, and they appear full-grown, so I don't know how much longer > they'll remain in view. Despite their new feathers they look scruffy > to me. Their necks and backs are mottled with gray instead of pure > black; their legs are gray and bills yellowish rather than both being > bright red. Mostly they stand, quietly preening, or pacing slowly, > sometimes poking at sticks of the nest, or backing slowly toward the > edge to defecate. A couple times I have seen a single flap-hop. > Stretches of those black wings are impressive, but otherwise it's a > subdued scene. The background noise, in addition to wind, big > feathers, and a fly or two, seems to include a pigeon, a wren, and > some songbirds I don't recognize. > > It's worth waiting for a parent to show up, which I've now seen three > times. Even if you aren't watching, the sound will alert you. Suddenly > the youngters crouch down on their long tibio-tarsi and begin bobbing > their heads and calling. This can go on for several minutes while the > parent stands on a nearby branch, which may or may not be in view, or > may fly to a different branch and even seem to be uninterested. It can > take awhile for the adult to actually come to the nest and feed them. > I don't think the delay is from reluctance to face the huge and > intimidating babies. They actually look obedient, well-disciplined, > and patient, yet persistent, while they beg. Perhaps the adult needs a > lot of stimulation. Maybe the internal rearranging of food and > regurgitation-muscles takes awhile. > > Finally, wings spread above its children, the parent steps onto the > nest, extends its long neck forward and down between them, and opens > its bill. The excited youngsters are squealing, flapping their wings, > and poking and grabbing from either side when the parent coughs up > food. The first time I saw this the meal was a few anonymous bits > which were quickly gobbled up by both, then the parent departed. > > The second feeding I saw, the begging seemed interminable, during > which the sun rose through the leaves in the background. The meal was > a single fish almost the size of the bird's neck. It came out > suddenly. There was a very brief scuffle until one youngster got a > better grip and turned aside. I feared the fish would be lost > overboard, but the winner expertly swallowed it almost as rapidly as > it had been ejected from the parent. The sibling got nothing! I was > stunned. Then the parent bent over and produced a second, equally > large fish! Fortunately the hungry kid won that round and scarfed it > down. The parent flew off, leaving the youngsters to stand, rearrange > their swollen necks, and clatter their bills. > > As I was finishing writing, I was interrupted by a third feeding. This > time the parent flew almost directly to the nest, rapidly produced > several small items which were eaten before I could ID them, and left. > Still, the begging sound as soon as the parent approached allowed me > time to bring the view up. The contrast with the second feeding I saw > makes me wonder if each parent hunts different prey. > > Latvia is 7 hours ahead of us, so their sunrise is about 10pm for us, > and the place is dark during our afternoon and evening. > --Dave Nutter > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com> > Version: 2015.0.6037 / Virus Database: 4365/10159 - Release Date: 07/04/15 > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
