Jõgeva County (new nest -2025) / Must-toonekurg 2

[marika.solo]

21:47:18

[marika.solo]

22:07:45

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June 29
Hello everyone

CHICKS () ()
- 1st chick: 36 days old (hatched late evening 24.05)
- 2nd chick: 35 days old (hatched early morning 25.05)
- 3rd chick: 35 days old (hatched afternoon 25.05)
Brood reduction by male
- 4th chick: 20 days old (hatched late evening 26.05)
- 5th chick: 17 days old (hatched afternoon 28.05)

prof. Zielinski (youtube chat info):
The direct cause was that male brought an insufficient amount of food, resulting in nutritional stress, which is the biological trigger that prompts adult birds to start the process of brood reduction.

Stork chicks grow exponentially. 90 days in the nest is like 18-21 years for humans. This means that 1 day in the nest is like almost 3 months for a human child. That is why their transformation is so amazing and fast.

[marika.solo]

youtube chat info - thx to everyone
English translation only from now on – assisted by Gemini

YouTube comments do not reflect all nest events throughout the day, including chick feedings; therefore, the log is unfortunately incomplete.

Nest Activity Log – 29/06/2026

[marika.solo]

Timeline of Events

FEEDING 1 (Female) 07:32
The female arrives at the nest. She delivers a brief morning feeding at 07:33 and flies away a minute later.

Butterfly chase 07:56
The chicks are spotted trying to catch a butterfly floating around the nest.

FEEDING 2 (Male) 08:23
The male arrives at the nest to feed the chicks, staying until 08:27.

FEEDING 3 (Female) 11:16
The female returns for another feeding and departs quickly at 11:17.

FEEDING 4 12:40
Midday feeding documented by observers (parent ID not specified).

FEEDING 5 15:02
Afternoon feeding documented by observers (parent ID not specified).

Thirsty signals 16:44
The chicks are squeaking and making typical "chap-chap" bill movements, indicating they are likely experiencing thirst in the heat.

FEEDING 6 (Female) 17:57
A parent lands on the branch. The female jumps into the nest bowl at 17:58 to feed the begging chicks (food items not visible). She moves back to the branch at 17:59 and leaves shortly after.

FEEDING 7 (Male) 18:42
The male lands and delivers a feeding. He steps onto the parent branch at 18:43 and departs at 18:44, leaving the chicks with visibly full crops.

FEEDING 8 (Female?) 19:31
A parent (presumably the female) arrives and delivers fish. She moves to the parent branch at 19:33 and flies away at 19:34.

FEEDING 9 (Male) 19:51
The male lands with a thick neck, regurgitating really big fishes. However, he only brings two large fish, meaning one chick is left without food during this round (the youngest one to me). He takes off at 19:53.

Parental Care & Preening (Male) 20:03
The male lands back on the parent branch. As all chicks continue to ask for food (not just the hungry youngest one), the male steps in and patiently preens them while they are all lying down.

Key Observations & Notes

Food Distribution Issues:
During the late evening feeding (19:51), the male brought large fish, but because there were only two, one of the three chicks couldn't get a share. This triggered intense begging from the entire brood during the next parental visit, including the older, well-fed chicks.

Social Behavior:
The day ended with a beautiful display of parental care when the male spent time gently preening the plumage of the resting chicks.

Weather & Hydration:
The heat continues to take a toll; the chicks showed clear behavioural signs of being thirsty during the afternoon hours.

[marika.solo]

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