9 October 2022
It has been a good day at all the nests – SE30 fledged and returned in 45 minutes with an adult on the tree. There have been 2 fish deliveries at PLO, and Mum seems to be happy to look for Rufus’s beak at Orange. Everything was going well at Melbourne. There was a feeding that ended at 10:57 and Mum flew off the ledge.
Mum has not returned. As I write to you it is 11:35 and counting. It is 14 degrees C in Melbourne. The chicks are ‘hot’. They are panting heavily. Two got out of the scrape and had their heads in the shade at one point.
Where is Mum or Dad?
Birds go into heat coma if their systems get overly heated and these four beautiful eyases need their mum to shade them. Oh, let us hope a parent returns quickly and/or the shade covers this area of the ledge very, very soon.
Please send your warm wishes to these little ones. Their mother has been gone almost an hour. This is highly unusual. Let us hope that she returns quickly so an enormous tragedy is averted.
Thank you to 367 Collins Street by Mirvac for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.