SNEAKY GENES

It’s clear that Samson is passing on his sneaky genes. Having spent the morning watching the nest for but not seeing any signs of activity, I noticed that the farm vehicles were coming in to set up the watering system for the potatoes in the field below the nest. So, since then, Augusta has been sitting tight on the nest and not letting me have a look underneath her.

So it was very exciting when, at 1730, Samson arrived with a nice headless fish and she stood up to reveal…their first chick of 2026! Just like his sneaky dad, he (it has to be a “he” with the same mentality) had hidden away until he could make an entrance when his first meal arrived. Unlike last year, when Augusta was very tentative about feeding her very first youngster, she was straight in and successfully fed the chick with her first couple of attempts. As normal, Samson is fussing around, showing a great interest in his offspring.

Please take the time to check out this family on my YouTube channel (link below). Every year, it comes as a surprise to me how tiny the chicks are and how quickly they grow. Blink and they’re strutting around the nest as if they’re ready to take over the world, so enjoy them at the cuddly stage and I’ll let you know how the rest of the hatching window goes.

https://www.youtube.com/live/tku99L-hsm8?si=LoL333VE_WCELdZ_