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7:29 Kay stands again for aminute, turns head facing into wind right. Still one egg

7:30pm

Since I've been watching she stands up about almost once every hour within a minute or two. Shifts around or moves something then slowly sits back down. The past 3 hours anyway!

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Yesterday is history
Tomorrow a mystery
Today is a gift

hi observer.  I can't get the stream tonight for some reason its gone flooey!  I hope you can watch.  I was trying, didn't want to miss the 2nd egg!  :(

7:45pm

I just had to post this I laughed when I thought of it

Look at this pic. She will have to get her tail away from that bar if she is going to lay another egg! Either that or she is holding it in!

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Yesterday is history
Tomorrow a mystery
Today is a gift

7:51- She was listening! She stands for a minute, turns tail slightly away from bar to face toward camera lower left of nest, facing upper right.  Now her wing is blowing again!

I drove by the nest while I was out tonight - 1st at 7pm and then around 7:25 after quick grocery stop.
Jay was on the same pole right by the nest. (does someone want to come up with a name for it so I don't keep saying the pole-under-the-satellite-dish-at-the back-of-the-nest)
At 7:30 he flew off to the north and it looked like he went to the magnolia "cuddle" tree.  I waited a bit more and by 7:45 it was getting too dark to see much, but I could not see him back at the tower.  The magnolia tree probably has a direct view of the tower - I'm pretty sure but not positive without climbing up it
And it would definitely be more comfortable if it rained.  Jay learned last summer that the pole in a rainstorm produces a shower off the satellite dish!

8:10 stands up, I can only see one egg.  faces out right, looking around.  Preens near tail. Moving her head out and down and around in a weird way, kind of like an exaggerated swallow. Could be that "egyptian head bob" thing they do, hard to tell from the angle. Gently pokes at egg, turning it? Settles down facing right front. 8:20 dozing.

8:25 p.m. Kay stands and does a quick Egyptian head bob, and with her tail stuck out and up a bit over that bar... It almost looks like she's straining to lay another egg.... her body bobbing, and then she puts her head down, nudges her egg tenderly, then turns ever so slightly (facing 4 now) and settles back down... And yes, I agree, Observer, it looks like it'd be pretty difficult to lay an egg with her fanny right ON that hard, cold bar to the left of the nest! Don't y'all wish she'd scoot the egg and herself over just a bit more to the right, FOR PETE's SAKE ?!?

8:33 p.m. Now snoozing like a baby-hawk.

o.k. I'm now having technical problems (rrrgggghhh). Will check in again later...

Bobdmac: That Ohio raptor biologist (Blakeman, also a RTH falconer) said that he thought that the formel pre-nested for up to a week. Clearly Kay is proving him wrong at least some of the time. Either Blakeman or Marie Winn also wrote that the egg sitting would be high in the nest (just sorta keeping the egg slightly wam) until the last egg is laid. At that time the female will sit very low in the nest, and have started incubating seriously, all the eggs, so that they do hatch closer together. At least that is the lore. Kay and Jay seem to have their own way of doing things, as they have proven time and time again. So we have to see if she starts brooding really low in the nest, after the next egg or two, and that might give us hope that we would be less likely to have a repeat of last year's loss. I did not see this stage of the process last year. I came on board after Thunder had hatched and Spirit was just coming out of the egg, so since you have seen this from the egg laying process before, with this pair, I'd say you are the best source of prognostication.

8:40. Stands up, facing right into wind, swaying. Tail over bar. One egg visible. Doing the strange neck stretch thing several times. Stands quietly, seems to be closing eyes to doze while standing up! 8:45 turns tail to camera and settles down.

Catbird, I think we have a unique opportunity to be seing into the nest.  The nyc observations, and I think Balkemans as well, have been from the ground looking up, and they cannot actually see what is going on as well. This will be an interesting record for sure!

SallyLS: I agree. While Blakeman has seen captive females brooding etc, with his falconry, there may be a domestication factor involved there, where the formel feels safe being in the nest longer....and perhaps, Kay, being wild, needs to be completely active and alert right up until she absolutely HAS to go to the nest. Bobdmac: Did she do the same thing last year? Stay out until just an hour two before laying her first egg?

Bobdmac: That video of sleepy Kay struggling to keep awake is beautiful. And she is too.

Is she starting to shift around her position often like she did last night? I just got home from running errands etc. and have missed the goings on. Thank heavens for the forum observers and screen captures!