Dan and others,
Tower Girl's recent behavior would suggest she has laid one or more eggs,
starting a week ago. Unfortunately, the nest camera doesn't show the entire
bottom of the box, so we can't be certain. Based on the two previous
seasons, she's probably got a clutch of 4 eggs right now.
Meanwhile, Tower Girl's male companion was last seen 6 days ago, so we feel
certain he has left the area. We speculate he has a breeding ground (and a
mate) elsewhere that he has returned to. This is also how it went the
previous two seasons, i.e., she and the male exhibited courtship behaviors,
she began to lay eggs, and then he disappeared. (Some have joked, "just
like it goes with people, sometimes.")
Without a mate to provide food for her while doing the majority of the
incubation, Tower Girl must leave the nest for extended periods of time,
interrupting incubation and otherwise leaving the eggs unprotected. As for
her absences from the nest box at night, I have no good explanation. This
is the first year with the camera, and we are seeing things we previously
could only guess about.
Regardless of the male's absence, analyses of all eggs recovered from the
previous two seasons revealed that they were *infertile*. So for all we
know, Tower Girl herself may be infertile.
I only wish I had some encouraging news to pass along, but these are the
facts of what's been observed.
If you have enjoyed watching the web cam, please consider making a
contribution to UT's Biodiversity Center to help defray the costs. Even if
we are indeed looking at another season of nest failure, the views from the
nest cam have been superlative, and the observed behavior has provided
invaluable insight into what goes on 300 feet up in the Tower.
**************
Bruce Calder
Austin, TX
On Sun, Mar 18, 2018, 12:02 Dan Smith <dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi everyone, but especially Bruce,
I noticed last night that Tower Girl was not on the nest, and I have not
seen her there today (Sunday). Do we know if everything is all right or not?
Thanks,
Dan Smith
dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
512-451-2632
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