Finally the fourth egg has hatched and the hatchlings are all gathered in close together and being warmly brooded by the female! In most years, the eggs tend to hatch close to one another in a fairly well synchronized way, and within 24 – 48 hours of each other.  We have seen the remaining egg shells around the hatchlings.  The adults may move these around a bit with their bills.  They may seem to nibble a bit on the broken pieces, but they don’t have a well developed habit for disposal of the egg shells.  For the most part, the remaining pieces of egg shell will become trampled. Here the male departs as the female gets down to feeding the hatchlings!

The hatchlings have a delicate white down at birth, with none of the coloration that will come later with true feathers.  They form a feathery white cluster in the first few days and remain in very close contact with one another as though in a rugby scrum! It is always a joy to watch the female feeding in her new little family. she does so with care and tenderness, making sure all receive a fair portion.