During a feeding that took place this morning at 4:00, we were reasonably sure that there were only 2 chicks in the nest. The interior of the box is very dark at that time, but we could make out the forms of 2 white chicks. By 5:20, it was getting lighter and we could clearly see that Astrid was eating a broken egg shell. Eventually she shifted and revealed the newest member of the family.
? Fourth egg, a pip?
Astrid must be very tired after a busy and restless night. After the storm, it looked like she was feeding her little ones and I could hear them begging for food as she made noises to them while she fed them. She appeared to be moving around a lot between 3 and 4 am. The outside lighting cast a shadow on her back as she was moving around.I believe that was also the 3rd hatching.