Any moment now we might start seeing the first puffs of fluffy white down. It may not be clear from my screen grab, but on Wednesday the experts at the Audubon Society RI posted their own, more helpful images and described their observations at the Nesting Box Update:
Hatching has begun! It looks like two eggs have pipping holes as of 4:30pm. Look closely when the adults lifts their body up — can you see see the holes? Pipping is what occurs when an egg is ready to hatch. The eyas (Peregrine hatchling) first uses the egg tooth on the tip of the beak to punch a small hole in the egg to allow it to breathe air. They will fully emerge 12-24 hours later.
Maybe they are waiting for it to warm up. At any rate, things can happen quickly once the action starts. And then . . . it’s feeding time!
Show your support for the ASRI and meet interesting people at The Party for the Peregrines on May 13th at the Caratunk Wildlife Refuge in Seekonk.
Additional note: Both ‘pipping’ and ‘eyas’ are good Scrabble words.