Kaunas Forest

[marika.solo]

Four chicks hatched in mid-May, and the adults successfully raised all four.

The first time I saw the nest empty was on 31 July, so by then all four chicks had already made their maiden flight. On that day, one of the chicks did not return to the nest.

From the following day, 1 August, only two chicks were observed at the nest. I last saw the female feeding them on 7 August . The male continued to visit the nest once or twice, bringing both large and small portions of fish.

Sometimes only one chick was present at the nest during feeding, while the other was not recorded for several days. From 10 August, both chicks were again observed at the nest. At night, sometimes only one chick stayed at the nest.

The male was last observed feeding the chicks on 21 August at 11:25. He usually arrived around midday, sometimes twice a day, but he did not return to feed them on 22 August.

Later that afternoon, Cyclone Priska brought very strong winds and severe weather to the Kaunas area. At 16:21:46, a powerful gust threw one of the chicks out of the nest. The other chick was also rolled across the nest, but miraculously remained inside.

The surviving chick was last observed on 23 August.

We have no further information, so unfortunately we do not know whether any of the chicks ultimately survived.

The chicks were not ringed.