Eggs

Still knitting on the Shadow Shawl but I've got no pictures for you since it has been gloomy and overcast for most of the last few days. My colorway just won't show up well without some nice natural light.

So instead we have an egg update:



Godric and Minerva sitting on the eggs together. I was right! They did choose each other which is what I had hoped for. Supposedly they will have a good chance of having lots of yellow backed babies. Some people try to force birds to pair up based on their genetics and what kinds of babies they want. I'm taking the approach that nature works best and that the couple that chooses each other will be happier and better parents.

And the eggs:



There were nine in there but I took one out after taking this photo. It was clearly not a live egg. At this point in the whole cycle you can candle the eggs to see if they are viable. Candling means to shine a bright light through the egg so you can see what is inside. I have a special flashlight that allows me to do this without touching the eggs or distubing the nest. A live egg at this point shines pink due to the network of veins inside. There are two eggs which are for sure pink, two more which look like they could be and the rest probably are duds. I'm pretty sure the duds are the four eggs the Society Finches laid prior to the nest being taken over by the Gouldians. The Society eggs didn't get sat on in time so they aren't going to turn into babies. You can see two of the duds in the photo on each side of the middle row - see how they have a yellow cast? But I'm going to give it a few more days before I remove any of the suspected duds - just to be totally sure.

I'm so excited! In less than two weeks they should start hatching. Then I will have to worry about the parents - will they feed the babies? Will they toss any of the chicks out of the nest? Supposedly Gouldians do this fairly regularly. :( I so do not want that to happen!!