A DAY OF FIRSTS

Augusta is a mum! Chick #1 hatched sometime overnight 5/6 Jun and was eager to have its first taste of fish.

Not surprisingly, Augusta’s first attempts to feed it (at about 0900) were hesitant and unsuccessful and she solved the problem by stopping eating herself and sitting on the 2 remaining eggs plus the chick! However, Samson provided another grayling at 1100 and she managed to give the hungry chick a good feed; by the time a mid afternoon trout arrived, she was confident in her feeding technique and continued tearing off chunks of fish until #1 collapsed sideways in a food coma! She then demolished the rest of the trout herself.

The second chick could well arrive tomorrow but the weather is due to be colder and wetter so it’s good that Samson is bringing in a steady supply of fish and Augusta has worked out how to feed a chick quickly and effectively. Hopefully, she will be able to feed however many mouths there are in dry spells between showers as it’s vital that they stay warm and dry to avoid losing body temperature – a real danger when they are this young.

We also had a persistent intruder this morning, a Scottish female who was inquisitive rather than aggressive but was most unwelcome all the same. I’ll give more details when I’ve worked out her ring number.