April 20th
Sun again, all blue, 11 - 17 °C
April 21th
Sun again, all blue, 11 - 15 °C.
In the menu always these little pale green spiders.
He just arrived with his meal. He calls, she doesn't move. He comes to
the entrance of the nest box and proposes his meal, still nothing!
Satiated? He insists; no, not even hungry? Just a little spider is too much?
Piqued, disappointed, he settled on a branch and enjoyed his own hunt!
All the better if she is satiated, but it is a strange attitude.
One minute in the nest box: Watch VIDEO (764ko, 1mn 13s)
Finally these damsels emerged!
Here are the Common Winter Damselfly, [Sympecma fusca] (brunettes hivernales., lestes bruns).
They went near the water to mate and spawn a new generation.
They spent the winter hidden away, far from water. Last days were a little warmer and they begin to arrive. They are still rare.
They are more than two weeks late compared to last year.
At this time of year, this very discreet little dragonfly has the back of the eyes of very pretty blue.
Joint us at DRAGONFLIES.
(200410)
April 22th
Veiled sun, 10-15 °C.
This appetizing prey hunted on the balcony will be, as yesterday, eaten by him. Unable to determine the insect.
His belle seems to have refused. Why? So he didn't enter. He who takes so much trouble!
When she refuses there is more chance for the photo because it remains
long time proposing his meal. Then he perches a little farther, looking
puzzled, waiting for her to change her mind.
This is not always the case. Here he was immediately welcomed.
The squirrel and the magnolia.
What's more tempting than a magnolia blossom?
It is also necessary to reach it. But when one is a squirrel ...
Once well hooked and delicately removed the petals, just lick the sweet nectar of the flower. A delight!
After the feast, a little rest in the shade.
The doings of this little red squirrel was amusing because he wilfully detached petals of the flower, letting them fall one after another, until the floral receptacle was naked, and he had access probably to the sweet nectar at the base of the stamens.
April 23th
Beautiful day, 11-18°C.
Again another little feather One more fresh small feather.
April 24th
Full sun, 24 °C.
Yesterday, a swift (we don't have swallows our neighbourhood, only swifts...)! They are on time: same day as last year.
Still a little green leaf.
I do not know what it is, there is plant of this kind on the balcony.
I also saw the great tits pull out leaves of the birch. For their nest?
She now spend moments looking at her eggs, lengthily.
Or maybe already listening to them?
In any case, her attitude is different today.
April 25th
Some clouds this morning then sunny. Very mild, 19 °C - 21 °C.
Another brooding day. She leaves the nest more often and absented even for some length today. She arranges and positions her eggs again and again without respite.
April 26th
Some clouds, 13°C.
Still brooding, often goes out, many feedings in the morning.
Watch VIDEO (202ko, 18s)
April 27th
Sun, 12°C-20°C
She still broods. Hey No, not today...
He just landed, proud of its caterpillar, fluttering his lowered wings as a chick.
She comes to see.
But... let it go!
April 28th
Beautiful summer day, 18 °C -25 °C.No it is not her but him at the entrance with a beautiful green caterpillar.
She went out to meet him but for the first time he ignored her and
passed at her side without a look and went straight to the nest
box.
Good then? It comes?
Well, no! He will refuse it, drawing back when she advances to try to take it.
Then he flies away and returns to the nest box entrance.e.
A beautiful prey like that!
Always nobody there?
Not easy to see in this birdhouse.
I'd really to look anyway, so bad if she protests, I'm going! I must see by myself.
He is impatient, like us. It is perhaps also a little disappointed.
She followed him and took the prey. There follows some discussion... of which I have no translation.
She will check that nothing was disturbed in her nest.
A little later, here he is back with a new spider.
He will go directly into the nest box.
And...
Watch VIDEO (196ko, 13s)
get out with his spider and eat it himself.
Maybe she did not want it?
But seen her open so the beak it is not certain...
It is 6:45 p.m., she still broods, he just arrived with a meal and they
went together like every night before she goes to bed. 19h, here she is
back, he stays a bit, then goes away.
Until tomorrow...
April 29th
A little hazy, hot, 26 °C.
THAT'S IT! HATCHING!
Yesterday evening, 9:42, a small white piece in her beak attracts attention. She eats a shell.
The first hatching starts.
But this first egg has a problem, I do not know which, and it will not be viable. At noon she'll get it out.
3:30 am. That number two hatched.
As usual, first thing, she eats the shell. She so replenish its calcium
reserves. Well this was her intention at start, but darn, at 3 am!
Don't feel like eating it. She prefers to sleep.
It is lucky that she so takes and eats the shells, as this allows
identifying hatchings more easily, not always easy to do on the night
recordings that are rather long to explore.
Watch VIDEO (1842ko, 3mns 38s)
6:17, number three appears.
Watch VIDEO (2498ko, 5mns 48s)
They won't be lost, the shells of number two, here they are. It is
still dark but no problems, she finds them. And she will put the number
three shells aside and then eat number two's and still have a little
room for three's.
The end of the video has a little colour even in IR, we put artificial lighting.
14:37 for number five.
Follow the little black dot on the rightmost egg shell!
And... good cutting!
Watch VIDEO (6204ko, 8mns 04s)
The video is perhaps a little bit long but I barely cut it, I think it shows well how she proceeds.And last news, 4:38 p.m. for number six! I keep it for tomorrow, may be accompanied by his last three siblings.