Beneath The Goldenrod: The Hidden Treasures of Plover Park

Congratulations to Octavius Rex & Jennifer Jason Leigh! They have just hatched their three eggs carefully hidden from Coyote under the goldenrod. As with Stacy & Tatiana’s nest, I was unfortunately unable to stream this hatch live for the Little Egg Foundation due to the poor visibility. Not only could you barely see the nest through the thick vegetation, but they hatched out shrouded in thick fog on a dark morning. Just the way they wanted it we can assume!

Also as with Stacy & Tatiana, this was a hellish nest for them to incubate since they couldn’t see anything. The pair were constantly hopping off the nest to run through the grasses at the edge of the hill to scan for predators. You could see the incredible, non-stop stress of it all. It reached a climax during the hatch as they needed to keep the damp chicks warm while also making sure that nothing was sneaking up on them. In the video you can see the alert adults getting up and down, while the babies snuggle each other to stay warm. It was not ideal (to say the least.)

But they did it.

For the second time now, I’m so especially proud of Octavius Rex. He wanted this so badly. Enjoy this clip of part of the hatch as the first two chicks await the hatch of the third egg, and the parents frantically run back and forth to patrol the perimeter and keep their new babies safe!

And for those of you following along but struggling to keep it all straight, this is the nest that Todd Pover swooped in and found for those of us who just couldn’t.

Long live the survivors. Long live Octavius Rex. Long live Jennifer Jason Leigh. Long live these babies. Long live Todd Pover.

And, most especially, long live Plover Park!

Enjoy. Watch Octavius Rex and Jennifer Jason Leigh’s comeback nest hatch under the goldenrod. Click the video below to see a clip of the hatch from the ground cam. Turn on your sound and set the video player to 1080p HD for maximum babies. And note, the rhythmic clicking sound you’ll hear is the electric Coyote & Crow wires which were added to keep the exclosure safe.