Nest box tails – too hot to survive
We have had a sweltering three days with one more to go. With trepidation I looked in on the Crimson Rosella family nest box, to find two of the three chicks had perished. The smallest chick is clinging to life with no visible heat damage, goodness knows if it has suffered developmental damage from the extreme heat. It still has one more extremely hot day to survive.
With all fingers crossed that they had escaped in time, I checked on the Eastern Rosella family nest box. Relief, at the sight of an empty box with a few broken feather pieces. At least they didn’t cook inside the hot wooden box. Their chances are better as mobile fliers, able to seek out shady trees.
Who knows how our three sitting wood ducks are faring, if their eggs are still viable, if their ducklings will hatch. Any day now for the first sitting of the three.
The flying youngsters are all doing well despite the heat. Not happy about the conditions, but I see them about each morning and evening when home.
Late season nesting is a risky business in locations with very hot summers like ours.