Today at around 11, her usual time, Gayle laid her third egg of the clutch. The weather is mild and sunny, and right now, things could not be better. She comes in to sit on them every now and then but does not appear to be incubating yet. The next two days will show how big the first clutch of 2022 is going to be. Now when she starts incubating, her metabolism changes and she is producing more body heat. On her belly, there is a so-called brood patch without feathers and blood vessels closer to the skin that she uses to keep the eggs warm.