Cathedral of Learning ~ 2014

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

I know!!! strange, strange, strange...I know the shell is the last thing to form...and is put on as its making its way down the reproductive tract (whatever its called)

catwoman · **Posted:** Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:51 pm

It occurs to me that Dorothy hasn't started incubating the egg yet, so she must think she'll lay at least a couple more eggs.

mwplay · **Joined:** Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:15 am **Posts:** 10250

skygirlblue wrote:

Very interesting, mwplay...did you see the post that DEF made about the egg at Aalsmeer!!?

The second egg had NO Shell...I have never, ever seen that before. The pics are on FB...I hope you can see them.

(click on the pics to enlarge)

Wow - I've never seen nor heard about that before.

Looking at dates, it appears she laid first on 3/18, then the shell-less egg on 3/21. 3 days.. Same timeframe for Dorothy... First egg 3/20. 3/24 AM, see red spot.

mwplay · **Joined:** Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:15 am **Posts:** 10250

Okay... looking at the box... There are 2 things that stand out...

1) the reddish spot
2) the white spot in front. Small, I thought it was bird poop on pebbles - may very well be, especially since she's been pooping in the box so much (which I thought was weird).

The white spot showed up in the same picture as the red spot.

I looked back at video archives. on 3/24 close to 5AM, Dorothy jumped to the perch. She turned around facing the back of the box & her tail hanging down in front of green grass area. It still looked like she was contracting a little.

So, now, I wonder if that white pebble is possible bad part of egg? Especially since the white poop is also pink tinged. Not like I know anything about bird poop, but just pointing it out.

Here's the blown up pic I just took. And again, those spots first appear on 3/24 early AM.

Matrix · **Posted:** Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:21 pm

Thanks for posting those pics... She is behaving alot like Renetta did. Hope things turn out differently for Dorothy.

catwoman · **Posted:** Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:03 pm

Matrix wrote:

Thanks for posting those pics... She is behaving alot like Renetta did. Hope things turn out differently for Dorothy.

I didn't get to watch Renetta as much as others did, but I thought she wasn't very active & just pretty much stayed in the box. It was hard to tell whether she was distressed because the cam was a refresh one. Also, we thought something was wrong before Dorothy laid the first egg too. Just trying to calm myself as well as others. This is the first time I've watched an older falcon laying eggs, so maybe this is normal. :girlsad3:

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

Let me add my 2 cents worth. Dorothy is behaving nothing like Renetta, Renetta was fine until the very end (maybe the last 24 hrs?...I'd have to go back and look) She was in and out of the box like normal, chasing Mitchell out, preening, doing all normal stuff. It was all very sudden. The reason she was down in the box at the very end was because her uterus had already prolapsed and sadly, it was the beginning of the end. Renetta was young and if I remember correctly, no actual egg was found. Of course, that didn't rule out the possibility that something happened and she dropped it out of cam view. I don't believe any other injuries were found.

maybe all of this is age related. She's eating, preening, canoodling and she looks good. At least right now, I don't think she's in any distress. I think the cams distort what goes on. There have been several times when I thought she was in labor, but nope. Sometimes she "rocks" and that throws me off because I think she's going into labor.

What I also find puzzling is she obviously thinks more eggs are coming or she would be incubating...Maybe there's something hormonal going on. That was the theory with Aria and Vento in Rome. She laid 2 eggs and stopped...but, neither started incubating so they put 2 dummy eggs in the box to see if they could trick her into thinking the clutch was complete....and it worked. She didn't lay any more eggs, but they both started incubating!!

I guess time will tell and hopefully everything will turn out ok!!

Right now she's dozing...

mwplay · **Joined:** Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:15 am **Posts:** 10250

10:45am -

Probably my imagination, but if I didn't know any better, looked like Dorothy was pushing to me, not just rocking.

And SGB - I know what you mean about the rocking...

10:47 and she's laying down. I don't know... can't figure this out.

11:10am - she's laying down now

And she's up... Maybe she's got indigestion... Her crop is pretty full!

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

Thanks for sharing Kate's post, Carly. I like that term, "hen-o-phase"..I so remember that second hatchling. So very sad to watch it struggle.

The fact that she has spent some time on the egg is a slight change (of course she's up now..LOL) It was interesting watching her last night. She'd go through all the motions of "getting" on the egg, then she'd get up. Then she'd go through the process of doing that all over again.

I certainly hope that if this egg hatches, then the chick will be healthy.

mwplay · **Joined:** Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:15 am **Posts:** 10250

Well, E2 was on duty. Dorothy returned, calling for him. He left box. Could hear them vocalizing to each other and then mating. 11:57am

catwoman · **Posted:** Wed Mar 26, 2014 5:09 pm

I was concerned when I first checked on her this morning because the egg was exposed & she was standing near it, but not over it. She might have been closer & moved away when she was half asleep. I'm not holding out much hope that this egg will hatch, but will be pleasantly surprised if it does! :sham3:

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

Interesting...she's not even in the box but on the perch....I'm just starting to think that she is completely out of hormone juice!!!

catwoman · **Posted:** Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:10 pm

skygirlblue wrote:

Interesting...she's not even in the box but on the perch....I'm just starting to think that she is completely out of hormone juice!!!

Dutch Eagle Fan · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:01 am

I too think Dorothy is loosing interest in this egg now. And I have not see E2 tending to it either.
Looks like her fertile days are over, let's hope she can live in peace a few more years at her site, like Freedom and Roosevelt did at Fort Wayne.

mwplay · **Joined:** Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:15 am **Posts:** 10250

10:55am

All my quick peeks this morning reveal no one with the egg. I think I've checked 3 times since 4:45am PT. Of course, I could just be missing them. It's all quiet up there except for sirens. Normally if the 2 of them are within sight, they are constantly talking. I love watching them listen for the other and the different calls. The other day, Dorothy rushed out of the nest for something (she alarmed kaaked and was very upset), E2 came in and guarded. He stayed the entire time until Dorothy gave an "all clear" vocalization and I could see the change in E2's behavior and appearance.

mwplay · **Joined:** Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:15 am **Posts:** 10250

1:35 - Finally found Dorothy at home. She's standing in her scrape.

Terka · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:19 pm

E2 short visit 14;50 :sham1:

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

windy up there...

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

I sure hope that's what it is...it would be a bad sign if it was poop....Thanks for the link, Carly

catwoman · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2014 10:35 am

Thanks, Carly! Poor thing. If her body is still at least trying to produce eggs, I guess its possible that Dorothy & E2 could still produce a viable egg & have one more youngster. I feel the same as the person who posted earlier that she's produced her share of youngsters & hopefully she will have a peaceful retirement.

Bird Cams Around the World

Cathedral of Learning ~ 2014

Who is online