Charles Sturt University (CSU) has welcomed a new addition to the water tower peregrine falcon family over the weekend when the first of the peregrine falcon eggs hatched.
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The chick, named Omelette, emerged from the egg on Sunday after 36 days incubation and is doing well.
Parents Diamond and Xavier are working together to feed the hatchling while continuing to incubate the two remaining eggs.
At least one of these eggs has been observed to have a small whole, suggesting another chick may soon hatch.
Regular watchers of the peregrines have speculated on the FalconCam site’s blog about whether the remaining eggs are viable and will still hatch as the eggs are normally expected to hatch within a few days of each other.
“She [Diamond] won’t give up on them yet, but it is way outside the norm for incubation for Australian peregrine eggs,” was the response of Charles Sturt University’s Doctor Cilla Kinross on Tuesday morning.
This is the first breeding season for Diamond and Xavier in the water tower.
Diamond raised a clutch last year assisted by Xavier after her mate Bula disappeared unexpectedly just prior to hatching.
The FalconCam Project was established to allow study of the breeding and natural behaviour of the peregrine falcons and is overseen by Doctor Cilla Kinross and Mr Scott Banks.
Breeding pairs and their young have been observed in the tower for ten years.
To see live high-definition video streaming of the falcons, video of the hatching and expert commentary see www.csu.edu.au/special/falconcam.
