With mantis as prey!
The two chicks have been diverging in size and development for several days. The smaller less developed chick stopped breathing at approx 06:45am and 4 hrs later one of the parents was observed removing the dead chick from the nest. The other chick continues to thrive and grow.
Thrashers are setting up a nest in the kestrel box. Hope there isn't an altercation over the space...kestrels have not nested there in 2 years.