All Four Eggs Have Hatched
4/29: We have been reviewing recorded footage and are continuing to monitor the feeding status of the fourth chick. We have also been in communications with the Wildlife Center of Virginia and for now, we are continuing to see how things develop.
4/28: We are happy to report that the fourth chick has finally hatched as of approximately 9:30 AM on 4/28! Unlike it’s siblings, this chick took a significantly longer time to break free of its egg. The hatching process is incredibly energetically exhausting and in some instances, chicks can take multiple days to hatch, as we have witnessed these past few days. However, this extended hatching has now resulted in a relatively large age gap between the siblings. Chicks hatched on Falcon Cam in previous years have typically had an age spread of 0-2 days between the oldest and youngest chick, whereas this year we now have a 3.5 day spread. Nevertheless, this is not an entirely unprecedented situation for the Richmond Falcon Cam as the 2007 clutch of four chicks had a similar distribution in chick ages with all chicks ultimately making it to fledge!
The brood from 2007 with a similar age spread amongst chicks. The youngest chick is easily identifiable based on its small size relative to the others.
Although the chicks may appear wobbly and uncoordinated now, they will become much stronger and more efficient feeders over the course of the next few days as their muscles continue to develop and strengthen. Chicks weigh roughly 30-40 grams at hatch but, with regular feedings, will double in size in just 5-6 days time. The newly hatched fourth chick has a lot of catching up to do but as long as it is able to secure bites of food during meal times, we hope to see it catch up developmentally and go on to fledge.
The fourth chick just after hatching.