The kids have mom and dad up and running! Ive tried to get some shots of them in the box, but the door doesnt open wide enough to let the flash flash. But I got some of the parents working overtime. I dont think Ill have to worry too much about bugs this year!
working...
coming in for a landing...
lousy shot here...
This message was edited Apr 1, 2007 8:38 AM
waiting for me to get out of the way....
This message was edited Apr 1, 2007 8:38 AM
back to work...
hungry little guys!!
Great pics Kathy! Glad to see everythings going so well.
Oh I'm so excited! These are wonderful! Great action shots too. I'm insanely jealous lol!
Aren't yours around Lily?
I just get the occasional sighting. And I only have a chickadee family and a wren family using bird houses so far.
Yesterday I was adjusting the slightly crooked baffle of my fake birch log house when a very perturbed chickadee head popped out of the hole. It flew out chattering angrily at me. So I guess they are using that one lol!
Lily, Thats great that you have Chickadees in the nest boxes. Are their any boxes still empty? How many boxes do you have up?
Today is day 17, and the babes are poking their little heads out of the box. Dad is getting really serious about his dive bombing techniques...I can feel him whoosh by when Im out in the garden. I can't imagine them waiting til day 21 to fledge; you can hear them thumping around in the box, practising their wings. I have several pairs of cardinals hanging around, but can't find where they are nesting. Hummingbirds are flying all over; for such little guys, they make such noise when flying...they sound like B52's rumbling over the garden. I have hummingbird feeders out, but I really need to find some plants they like. Between roses and daylilies, I dont think its exactly their favorite food.
Lovely weekend, highs in the 80's today, hoping for some rain....
Oh I'm SO JEALOUS!! All that birdie action lol!! How cute that you can hear the babies getting rowdy and restless. I hope you will be home to see them leave the box. I haven't seen any hummers yet but my feeder is out. Last year I got frustrated trying to take photos of the hummers because I put more than one feeder out. So if I was set up near one feeder with the camera of course they would hit the other feeder. So this year I am trying one that is (you guessed it) smack dab in front of the living room window on a rediculously long pole so it will reach window height.
Hi Pell, I still have the chickadees in the front birch house and a pair of Carolina Wrens are using one of the bird bottles. I have lots of other boxes empty. Counting the two bird bottles on the house I have 13 things for birds to nest in on the property. That counts houses, bottles, gourds and a robin shelf. I had a pair of tree swallows checking out one of the bluebird houses in the back yard yesterday morning. I sure hope they come back!
Oh that is exciting Lily! Have you been able to get any pics of the birds using the houses? I'd love to see them.
Kathy thats great news about the BB's. Can't wait to see the kids when they venture out.
I dont know where I got the 21 days from, Im reading they can fledge from 18 to 19, so Im thinking tomorrow or Monday. Last year I was lucky enough to see one group fly the coop, they left mid morning. I remember last year they were poking their heads out a lot the day before, so Im going to keep a close watch on them. I just got home from work and ma and pa are still feeding, so they arent gone yet. Id love to be able to catch it on film, but I dont know if I will. Im just thrilled to actually have my first batch fledge mid-April. That means times for lots more! I know I have a family of cardinals somewhere, Mr. and Mrs. come to the sunflower feeder every day. I think they might be in my rose bush, but Im not sure.
Aww, how neat! Just think of all the broods you'll get to watch this summer.
I don't think the chickadees have eggs that have hatched yet Pell. I hardly ever see the parents coming and going from the house. In fact I hd just about decided that they weren't there anymore when I saw one fly back in yesterday. So I'm thinking that the female may be sitting on eggs. I will probably see more action once they are feeding young.
Meanwhile, I decided to check on the other houses when lo and behold, look who has decided that the robin nesting shelf is a good place to sit in the rain lol!!
I couldn't believe how close he let me get before scampering away.
Today its very blustery, and of course today is the day the babies decided to take flight. Well, 2 of them have so far. I can hear their plantive peeeeep from in the trees, but it seems each time we get a huge long gust of wind, the peeeeeep moves, so they must be getting tumbled around from the wind. Mom and Dad are having quite the "bad hair" day, dealing with wind.....(mom leaves the box with a fecal sac and tries to fly away...she flaps and flaps, but doesnt go anywhere! Thats how strong the wind is), and now dealing with feeding the kids left in the box, and the 2 that are tumbling around with the wind. Walking around the yard, its like stereo, hearing the peeeeeps from all different directions. Poor little guys....
Awwww, so sad! Hope they'll be okay.
