Brood Patch

One of the fascinating things about many nesting birds is the brood patch. This is a patch of skin on the breast of female birds that undergoes changes during nesting in order to allow them to incubate the eggs. The brood patch loses its feathers and the skin grows extra blood vessels. This allows the female to snuggle onto the eggs and incubate them directly with her warm skin. The brood patch usually doesn't show, because it's enclosed by the surrounding feathers, like a vest.



However, in the second photo below, as she preens her breast feathers, you can see the split in her chest feathering, and the black downy edge of the feathers surrounding the patch.





Mr. Owl is still doing a yeoman's job delivering food to his hungry mate. Mrs. Owl has sat nearly constantly on the eggs since the beginning, and we expect hatching as soon as tomorrow, or as late as Saturday, May 2nd. Keep an eye tuned to the owlcam for one of the little round eggs to become a fuzzy roundish owlet.