Happy Two Week Birthday, Chicks!
Our four remaining chicks are two weeks old today.
I wonder what happened to Charlie?
Early morning confirmation that the four chicks are all alive, and seemingly well.
A Starling arrived and had a quick look in the nest box at 8:30am. The chicks were very quick to jump back in the nest cup where they stayed motionless until Lola arrived a minute-or-so later.
A stretch of the wings.
Three out, and one in. Chance to see how far on they now are - perfect little Great Tits with stumpy tails!
Bum cleaning time.
Primaries look ready!
"Four in the bed and the little one said..."
Heart shaped nest cup.
There is still no sign of Charlie, so Lola is now definitely doing this alone. There seems to have been a good amount of 'natural' food brought in today. I watched her repeatedly going back-and-forth to the same garden and dipping behind a fence, so she must have found a small bounty. It looked like spiders. Overall there has been a lot more insects brought in today: spiders, larvae & beetles. A lot of sunflower hearts are still being brought in, but hopefully the bugs and insects are enough too - and are providing the vital moisture that the chicks need. There must have been double the amount of food brought in today compared to yesterday.
As I type this (7:45pm), two chicks are looking strong, with two less so. One in particular seems quite lethargic but has been quite active for most of the day - he seemed to change at about 4pm.
As I type this (7:45pm), two chicks are looking strong, with two less so. One in particular seems quite lethargic but has been quite active for most of the day - he seemed to change at about 4pm.
I wonder what happened to Charlie?
Early morning confirmation that the four chicks are all alive, and seemingly well.
A Starling arrived and had a quick look in the nest box at 8:30am. The chicks were very quick to jump back in the nest cup where they stayed motionless until Lola arrived a minute-or-so later.
A stretch of the wings.
Three out, and one in. Chance to see how far on they now are - perfect little Great Tits with stumpy tails!
Just before 10am the Starling came back to look in the nest box. This time Lola was already in the box and stayed on top of her chicks until it had gone again (once I'd scared it away!).
Bum cleaning time.
Primaries look ready!
"Four in the bed and the little one said..."
This time we had more than just a stretch - this was the first time I'd seen any wing flapping in the nest. They're starting to exercise their wings ready for their first flight.
Another visit from a Starling at 14:50pm. Lola stayed until the coast was clear. She's busy feeding these chicks on her own now, so I'm trying to help her by scaring off the Starlings. Our neighbours must think I'm mad.
Heart shaped nest cup.
Labels: nestcam
posted by The Bird Woman at 7:55 PM
2 Comments:
I think Lola is teaching her offspring what is good to eat. The sunflower hearts, though they don't have the necessary moisture, are good for them. They're full of fat that these little ones will need. Did you notice that they didn't start bringing sunflower hearts until the chicks were a bit older? Let's hope that last quieter one makes it. I worry for him/her.
Thanks, Peggy.
It's Sunday now, and the quieter one has really picked up today. Things are looking good!
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