Diamond and Xavier’s little eyas doesn’t seem to care who feeds it – or if it is a Starling or a Parrot – Yurruga just wants food!
Xavier brought in a Starling last evening. As everyone knows, Xavier loves to feed his chick but, he often doesn’t get the chance. Diamond is a very protective Mum.
Xavier arrives at 18:51:01. Diamond is not in the scrape. Yurruga is hungry and starts squealing immediately. It is Xavier’s chance to feed his baby!
“Sssssshhhhhh. Be Quiet Yurruga. Diamond will hear you.”
Yurruga is so hungry it won’t let Xavier pluck the bird before it starts snipping at the feathers in Xavier’s beak.
At one point there were feathers stuck to both Xavier and Yarruga’s beak. They looked like they were putting on moustache disguises.
Oh, dear. At 18:53:06, Xavier feeds Yurruga the leg of the Starling. Diamond is not going to like this.
Xavier realizes what has happened. He watches Yurruga trying to hork (gobble) the leg and foot down its throat.
Oh, dear. Xavier tries to take it back.
Xavier tries to get the leg and foot out of Yurruga’s throat but he can’t. He looks like he is in a panic. The chick will not let go of the leg!
At 18:53:33, Yurruga finishes horking the leg and immediately turns and bites Xavier’s beak.
Yurruga is really, really hungry. It starts squealing and Xavier starts feeding it the meat of the Starling and the organs. Xavier must be terribly relieved that the chick did not choke on that leg! Maybe Diamond won’t find out!!!
Here is a video clip of the incident with its ending.
The morning sun is just waking up and so is Yurruga. It is Monday, 25 October in Orange, Australia. This can only mean another day of adventures with Yarruga, Xavier, and Diamond. No telling what is going to happen! This scrape box is full of surprises.
Here is the link to join in:
This is a great streaming cam and falcon family to watch!
Fact of the Day: Peregrine Falcons are known to lay their eggs and raise their chicks on the sides of cliffs and in human made scrape boxes. It was understood that they did not make or use twig nests because of the chance of disease and pests. At the Knepp Castle, Isabella Tree reports that a pair of Peregrine Falcons have made a nest in a tree. There are, of course, always exceptions to the rule but this might prove interesting if other falcons make the estate their home using trees as nesting sites.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care of yourselves.
Thank you to Charles Sturt University’s Falcon Project and Cilla Kinross for their streaming cam. That is where I took my screen shots and video clip.
