UPDATE> March 8th | When checked today the egg had already started pipping, earlier than expected! So if all goes well it is expected to hatch in the next 24-72 hours…
The countdown is in for the LiveStream hatching of the CahowCam2 chick, which is now projected to hatch by March 10th, so please keep watching the LiveStream page or the realtime video mirrored below. The CahowCam1 pair’s egg unfortunately failed this year, but the cameras have revealed the potential causes and associated behaviours…
As a repeat of last season’s “Who’s the Daddy” drama, its mother once again arrived earlier than Sampson for their fall courting and nest building period and engaged with another male for a few days of “ex-pair mating” before he was violently evicted upon Sampson’s return. The potential chick’s paternity is therefore in question which will be addressed through a paternity test as part of the genomic population study being conducted by BioQuest, which is revealing insights into the hidden behaviors of this traditionally thought to be monogamous species…
The above egg was one of the last to be laid this season with the majority throughout the colonies already having hatched or being well underway. As of last count both the Nonsuch and Horn Rock colonies each had at least 17 confirmed chicks with at least 5 more accessible eggs being still viable with many having started pipping, as seen in the video below.