Timeline

Okay, a bit of a recap since we are halfway through incubation at this point. The first egg was laid on April 19th, second on the 21st, third the 23rd and we suspect the 4th on the 25th or 26th. Incubation began in earnest on the 23rd after the third egg though the parents were hovering over the first two eggs pretty much as soon as they were laid. But the weather was cool/cold so that may account for their attention right from the start. An snow/ice storm on the 23rd & 24th didn't faze Princess and Trey and they were stuck like glue to their eggs until the weather improved on the 28th and we were able to confirm that a fourth egg had been laid. On May 4th, after another snow fall, I found that one of the eggs had "disappeared" which in this case means that there was something wrong with it. I couldn't see it or any part of it with the camera so it is probable that the parents disposed of it sometime on the 4th or 5th. The remaining three eggs look fine and Princess and Trey continue to be dedicated parents. Incubation takes 28 to 32 days, so my best estimate of hatching should be around May 22nd - 30 days after the third egg (the usual start time for incubation) was laid.



This is Princess' and Trey's fifth year together and every year they have laid four eggs, however last year was the first time they managed to successfully hatch all four. Their chicks that do hatch do very well, so there is no reason to think that this year will be any different. All we can do is wait and see what hatching brings.