 Ward
and June defied the rough winter and produced their first egg today. It
came in the middle of the night and could be seen alone in the nest at
dawn. June had left the nest for more than two hours shortly after laying
it and is shown here inspecting the egg as she returned at 6:15am. As in
past years, she stayed in the nest for the rest of the day, but will spend
most of her nights outside until the second egg is laid. Only then will
the serious full-time incubation start. Ward called home at 9am with his classic
hoot and she responded enthusiastically with several abbreviated
classic hoots. She slept for most of the day and seemed quite content;
even though Ward made no daylight food deliveries. This means that Ward
was able to catch enough prey last night to satisfy her needs and is
a highly encouraging indication that their food supply may be adequate
after all. |