Karula National Park (Karl II and Kaia)

[Madli]

06.20 Karl flies out and Kaia moves to cleans the chicks.
She covers them.

06.50 Cleaning break. Chicks are full and sleepy.


07.23 N1 is tugging the wing of N2


07.27 KARL is back.


They exchange a short greeting and Kaia flies away.

[Madli]

07.30 FEEDING (3) Fish and frogs! I see only 1 and 2 swallowing large frogs. 3 tries to eat a fish at the beginning but doesn't manage to swallow it. 4 is without food this time- he doesn't seem very interested yet.

[Madli]

08.05 Karl stands and uncovers the chicks.

That little wing stretch


08.57 FEEDING (4) A few leftover fish..N4 manages to eat a big fish (compared to its body size)




09.05 Karl covers the chicks again.

[Madli]

09.09 Kaia brings a small tuft of grass.


Karl stands and leaves.


Kaia moves over to clean the chicks. She wakes them up.

[Madli]

09.11 Kaia stands over the chicks and gets ready into a feeding position. She tries to regurgitate once, but doesn't let any food out. She decides not to feed this time.

Instead she cleans the chicks and starts to arrange moss and twigs.

09.18 Kaia covers the chicks.

09.58 FEEDING (5) Kaia serves larger fish. I think that nobody eats this time. N4 is hopelessly far behind others. Bigger ones only peck the fish and aren't able to consume it yet. Kaia ate the fish back quickly.




Kaia lets out the same fish again, N1 grabs it but can't eat it.


Kaia doesn't cover the chicks yet.
She cleans them and starts to work on the nest.

[Madli]

10.12 FEEDING (6) Kaia regurgitates the fish, but it's still not soft enough to eat. N1 tries to swallow onr big fish, but can't do it. Nobody actually eats this time.




Kaia drops a smaller fish in front of N4 while N2 battles with another big fish. They can't eat it.

[Madli]

Kaia often preens and tkes care of her chicks. That's nice to see.
Kaia looks overall more relaxed .

And I get the feeling that the fish she serves today comes from a fish basket. I can't confirm it 100% but it looks like it

[Madli]

10.35 FEEDING(7) Kaia offers the same fish. Only N1 eats. Kaia eats back and spits out the fish for a few more times, smaller ones don't take it.
No1 with a big fish


More fish came out


Tug-o-war (Kaia took and ate back the fish)

[Madli]

Younger ones are only pecking the fish


Chicks go to sleep while Kaia cleans them.

[Madli]

11.53 Chicks are banting- they are hot. N4 climbs higher to seek shade from Kaia.


11.57 N1 makes water begging sound. He is thirsty.


No1 grabs No4's bill.


Chicks are now twittering.
(Others except N1 must be hungry already)