December 2, 2006 [LINK / comment]

Princess resumes egg laying

For the first time since June, Princess has laid eggs (two), but one of them had a thin shell and broke the next day, leaving just one. So, she'll be a brooding "nest potato" for the next two weeks or so. This pause between fertility cycles was much shorter than last year: She didn't lay any eggs from June 2005 until March 2006. George was singing almost every day before Thanksgiving, responding to Princess's flirtatious behavior and (perhaps) anticipating a little romantic action. Since then he has become very tranquil once again, spending much of his time guarding Princess. Our basil plants are just about spent, meaning no more of their favorite flowers this year, but they do get to enjoy fresh broccoli on a fairly regular basis.