it's one shot per second.

Can't tell you , but sometimes they sell these special items under "hidden brand names" but in fact they are quality items from some major manufacturer. And sometimes - it is not that way! However, I would never buy craftsman tools at these markets, which are often cheap and made in China, with all the disadvanatges this opften brings: bad durability, bad rubber.

Whether the brand of these scopes you mentioned is a quality brand or just an Aldi label, I also don't know. and since I have not tested them, i cannot comment on the items themselves, too.

Thanks all the same Skybird, I do believe these are good quality optics, they're from a German based company, and they're only avaiable aroud X-mas time, I believe it's during the company's sweeps, they put their scopes on sale; they have somewhat of a cult following in the UK because they are of good craftmanship (full weather seal, high grade lenses) and not at all expensive, about 150-200E for a scope and metal tripod + accessories... total bargain for a begginer's scope :D

Oh, and here's another link on the same project of those above I've mentioned, this time about White Storks, if you're lucky you might catch a couple of Kestrel's who've made their nest on the lower left side of the storks nest http://static.publico.clix.pt/cegonhasnaweb/

Hmm it didn't entirely fail, chick or chicks is the correct word for infant birds of any species. Chicken is a specific type of bird though.

We already knew that.:D

Kingfishers are my favs, I like watching them dive in and grab a fish. They can somehow swallow fish that are quite large, don't see how it is possible.

I think that it depends on the availability of food in the area. I know that some species of eagle only raise 1 eaglet. The mother will lay 2 eggs & the older eaglet (the first to hatch) will kill the younger one within a few days. The parents won't intervene while this is going on. The 2nd egg is laid as a kind of insurance policy in the event the 1st one doesn't hatch for some reason.

I like owlets (baby owls). They're pretty cute.

Food does not seem to be a problem, yesterday I seemed to have seen 6 or 7 mice stockpiled in the corners of the box, if I interpreted the shape and colour of the shadow-like contours and what appeared to be the tails of the mice correctly. :)

It could be that the fourth chick may not be getting it's share. The parents tend to feed the pushiest, most assertive chicks & ignore the weaker more passive ones.

Ha, a minute ago to my surprise I was able to observe not just 3 or 4 but FIVE feathery snowballs turning their hungry beaks towards their mother. Not only is the fourth chick alive and well, but their log says that yesterday indeed a fifth chick has hatched. I wonder if that fifth one has a realistic chance though, since it lacks behind in time. On the other hand, they do have plenty of food indeed.

Another one has hatched, the sixth - and last - one.

Now that the chicks enter the last quarter of their lifetime inside the box, I just want to bring it back to your awareness. All six chicks have survived so far, and are healthy and strong. They are now in a stage where they are even bigger than their parents. I estimate them to leave the box in a week. What makes me sad, since I used to have a look at them every day's morning and evening...:cry:

A small collection of pics illustrating their way from egg to current day can be found her, it is the socalled falcon diary and documents this years chicks:

http://berlin.nabu.de/projekte/Turmf...u09/10774.html

They got leg-rings two days ago.

How many eggs were there at first?

Six. All survived.

Thats nice to hear.:yep: