9.00 Chicks on their own, waking up and preening.
9.36 Tiercel arrives with a kill and starts feeding chicks. Falcon arrives and takes over. Tiercel flies off.
9.43 Falcon departs with remains of the carcass
9.47 One chick in the corner with its back to the others. Female returns, goes to corner and removes some egg shell then guides the chick to join the others
9.52 Settling down to brood them
10.35 Adult flies off
11.00 Chicks resting partially in the Sun.There is a lot of debris from old prey remaining around them.
11.01 All sleeping until 11:03 am with occasional stretch. They are all now growing even larger.
11.16 Chick in the front shuffling restlessly and sitting up. Deliberately disturbing the two.Feathers are now developing under the down.
11.19 Second chick stood up.
11.20 All standing up now and looking around
11.21 Two of the chicks settle down and the other one stays up preening.
11.25 Tiercel flies in with no prey sits on the edge of the box watches chicks for a short while, Then at 11.27 Flies off.
11.28 All chicks settle down.
11.31 The right-hand chick starts picking in the gravel and eating part of a piece of carcass that was left in the gravel .
11.34 Chick at the front of the group staying alert preening while other two siblings remain docile.
11.42 The standing chick moves to the corner facing inwards and leaves the other two lying in the Sun.
11.47 Chicks sitting but with eyes wide open looking straight out.
11.51 Front chick stood up stretched wings fully. Sat back down and started picking at the gravel and old carcass
11.52 Same chick stood up again, stretched and carried on preening.
11.58 Chick walked standing up fully on its feet towards other two disturbed them making a second chick stand up.
12.05 All chicks down resting.
12.08 Two chicks now standing up.
12.09 One chick walked to the back standing up on feet and using wings to balance.
Observations two of the chicks, can now walk properly on their feet rather than shining on their ankles. Also all chicks can now stretch out their wings fully, regularly flapping their wings for up to 5 seconds. One of the chicks was observed pulling flesh remains from the bone using claws to hold it down as an adult would.
12.28 All the chicks moved into the corner.
12.33 By this time two of the chicks had demonstrated that they could walk upright on their feet.
12.35 The Falcon flew back in but did not have any prey she stayed until
12.38 Standing watching chicks before flying off.
12.40 Chicks settle down.
12.42 One chick eating from the scraps.
12.45 The Falcon flew back in this time with large prey.She feed the chicks with this the whole meal entirely consumed by
12.55 Chicks now all displaying full crops
13.01 Female leaves them home alone.
13.03 One chick turns towards its siblings and scratches itself with those big feet.
13.04 The same chick wanders off to the back where it is joined by both of the others then they all collapse in a heap.
13.07 One chick is upright and looking around, the others are flat out.
13.13 All laying down side by side, one facing forward, middle, and the two outside ones facing to the back.
13.16 One walks to the back corner, preening. Turns and joins the others.
13.37 Group shuffle.
14.00 Another group shuffle.
14.11 A chick preens then lays down.
14.21 Same chick standing up alert is joined by another, both preen.
14.29 Chick sitting up appears to be calling.
14.33 Lays down.
14.54 Big group shuffle with wing stretching, getting big now.
14.57 Two chicks preening, one fast asleep then joined by one of the others.
15.00 Chicks are home alone
15.04 Chicks are stretching and preening
15.10 The chicks are now finding their feet and now wander around
15.26 Chicks are still alone but are chilling out in the warm sun
15.34 Male brings food into the box followed by the female who takes the prey and feeds the young
15.44 After feeding the chicks the female hops on the ledge and flies off
The adults do not come back to the box up until I finish my shift at 17.00
Thank you to Geoff Cleall, James Ranshaw, Julia Ivison and Brendon Ollett for todays blog