Donna C wrote:
carly wrote:
Donna C wrote:
Jack has had up to 6 eyases per year the past 3 years that he's been running two sites and his challenge here has also been the weather at times but he manages quite well He considers both territories as 'one' territory so food is shared between sites. He will catch food at our site and take over to TR Mom and vice versa - when he sees an opportunity to get food he grabs it. The females also start hunting once the kids pass the 10 day mark
I seem to remember DC doing just fine hunting and feeding for Orion. Don't forget it was late in the season and extremely hot so the circumstances were trying for both adults and junior at that time. DC is an exceptional hunter like his dad and I don't think any of us have ever seen a young tiercel so intent on feeding his offspring as he was with Orion.
It's not fair to compare DC to his dad because Jack is 11 years old and had 7 years lived before he took over a second site. Their situations are very different in many ways and the lack of trust between him and Beauty will I think prove the bigger challenge than food will, as it did last year
Don't forget their instinct is to reproduce and they will do everything to ensure the survival of those offspring, even die for them if they have to. At the end of the day for them it's all about passing on their genes and they will rise to the challenge. It doesn't mean they won't make mistakes along the way but they will learn from those mistakes as well.
Interesting perspective Donna.
I was thinking DC may be doing hunting during his trips back and forth between BS & DT or when he's out of the watcher's view for longer periods of time when they've got eyes on B, and he arrives on scene. I thought maybe he would cache the food and B would find it in some of her cache spots. We know based on MAK's reports, Beauty is a good morning hunter - at least it seems that's when she does a lot of her hunting. Right now, it seems like he's spending lots of time on TSB and Mercury, and just trying to work our the courtship situation with both girls. At this point, the girls are still able to care for themselves.
I thought there were times last year when he arrived with prey to the box area during courtship/incubation (I think on the side platform, several times on the top of cam 4 and next to main cam). I thought those deliveries looked fresh (not plucked or half eaten).
After hatch, I think we would expect that the prey would be cleaned - which may appear to us to be partially consumed and not really "fresh" per se. He may have taken some for himself during the cleaning - I see that happen at many nests with cams that can view outside of the nest area.
Will have to watch that a little more this year.
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