Karula National Park 2/ Must toonekurg 4

[marika.solo]

continuation:

16:12:15 Female arrived at the nest. Feeding delivered; fish and possibly a frog.
16:12:26 Female flew away.

16:30:49 Male arrived at the nest. Feeding delivered - a grass snake.
16:31:10 Male flew away rapidly.

17:17 Environmental note: High temperatures on the nest. All chicks are showing signs of heat stress, walking around with open bills (gular fluttering/panting).

18:42:10 Female arrived at the nest. Feeding delivered; three chicks managed to feed. The ringed chick (Bonus) was positioned awkwardly, blocked by the female's legs, and was only able to secure a single food item.
18:42:28 Female flew away.

22:45 All chicks are resting/sleeping on the nest.

Biological & Field Notes

Feeding Dynamics (Bonus): During the 18:42 feeding, the adopted/foster chick (Bonus) missed out on the main portion of the meal due to poor positioning behind the female's legs, highlighting the impact of physical blocking on chick feeding success.

Thermoregulation: The observation at 17:17 of chicks with open bills is a standard thermoregulatory response (panting/gular fluttering) used by black stork chicks to cool down when exposed to direct sunlight on the nest.