First Good Look at the Chicks!
I got my first good look at the little ones today, albeit just a peek here and there. Mom was perched on one side of the nest as she does when she begins to let the chicks get acclimated to their environment. This will be the routine now that's she's out of the brooding mode. We can expect to see her standing on the side of the nest most of the day from now on, allowing her young to venture further and further out of the nest until one day they become "fully fledged" -- in other words, they fly for the first time. This should occur around the 1st of March.
I am almost ready to concede that there may only be two, although I still hold out hope that there are 3. If so, number 3 was napping today.
The one on the left below was really sleepy. How about that yawn! These guys are just too cute aren't they? So I'll call this one "Sleepy."
In the days to come, we will know if there are two or three, and we will begin to get a much better look at the hatchlings as they grow and get stronger. They will get much cuter too before shedding their fur-like feathers and they begin growing their adult feathers. Their eyes will become huge in relation to the size of their heads, and will turn a deep blue for a while. Stay tuned!