On Friday, April 20, the hawks were observed sitting low in the nest and making nest-exchanges throughout the day, indicating they are sitting on eggs. No one can see into the nest, so it's impossible to know how many eggs are in there. We have to pay attention to the hawks' behavior.
Hooray, Amelia!
This is all that can be seen from the ground (hawk tail sticking up on the right):
It takes around 28-35 days for eggs to hatch, so if we count April 20 as Day 1, that puts hatching at May 17-24. Since no one can see into the nest, we will not be able to see the eggs hatch, but we will know something is up when Christo starts delivering food to the nest.
The hawks will continue mating until all the eggs are laid, and then maybe for some time after that.
The next month will be kind of dull for hawk-watching as one hawk will be down in the nest most of the time. The best time to see them is when they do a nest-exchange or when Christo goes hunting.
This is Amelia on Saturday when she was taking a break atop St Brigid's church.
I've noticed she likes to perch on the church towers as well as the cross. She is the first hawk I've seen do this, so if you see a hawk on one of the towers, it's most likely her. Christo prefers perching on the cross.
After a traumatic spring for the hawks, I'm happy they've finally settled in.
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