Going green
There's still only one egg in the nest at the moment. It is almost exactly three days since the first was laid so we are expecting the next to come along at any time. There is a great reluctance among visitors to leave the screens in the centre just in case something happens whilst they are away. The first egg is being incubated nicely and, the female has just this minute turned it over. Both the male and female turn the egg every half an hour or so, either using their huge talons, or by nudging it over with their beaks - delicately of course. This is so that the heat from their little feathery bottoms gets distributed evenly around the egg as they incubate it. The birds have continued to mate. This is normal and they will only cease mating completely when the final egg is laid.
Down on the ground, we have been indulging in some light decorating. Last night, as the last car drove away from the viewing centre after 6pm, we threw on our overalls and got to work on giving the viewing hide a good lick of paint. Two hours later, the hide was resplendant in glorious green. It has dried overnight so there's no danger of visitors sticking to the walls today. A great job by our multi-talented volunteers.