From Nestlings to Fledgings

I think my babies are about to fly the coop... Which is so exciting. I've had them hardly a week and they are already starting to hop around and trying to leave the nest. Couple more days and I think they will be flying. Their wings are coming in so nicely. I have two right now that are the bravest. They like to sit on the edge of their bowl and look around at everything. Teddy likes to sniff at the them but for a dog he lacks the enthusiasm to actually try and "get" them. Mike will be cleaning up our "flying" box soon and then when they are able to fly and get food on their own we'll be having a freedom celebration. Have to go to the pet store an stock up on mill worms and a pair of tweezers. This should be interesting... Here are some pics.

New Babies: Day Two

I now have the babies responding when I whistle or kiss at them. All but one opens their mouthes in hopes of getting their next meal... which is progress I guess. The one is the smallest of the group and I know you aren't supposed to name an animal you have no intentions on keeping but I can't help call him Grumpy. He always has this pissed off bird look on his face (and I'm not entirely sure if it's a boy or girl) I couldn't get him to eat at the morning feeding but I was able to get him to take quite a bit at the noon feeding. Unlike babies with no feathers these guys don't eat every 20-30 minutes. But they have been getting to the point where they cry out for the food. I really need to be feeding them with separate syringes but they are all nest mates and show no signs of disease so I think I'm in the clear. If I can only get Grumpy to welcome food like the others.

Side Note: Looks like I have to keep my laundry room open at all times. I saw a momma bird fly in there earlier (not the same momma bird of these guys like I said before their nest was originally 3 miles down the road.)

Interesting Day

Today started out like any other day but by the end of the day I had 4 new mouthes to feed. Was outside with my parents and my two kids helping plant a garden when my husband called my dad and asked him to tell me to come up to the shop. I walked up there and low and behold Mike had found 4 baby birds and one unhatched egg. The nest was in a boat t-top that was down at the road at a family friend's business having some work done. Dad and Mike picked it up today and Mike was stripping all the usable parts off of it and discovered the nest. Normally we would have left it alone until Momma bird was done rearing her young but since was moved over 3 miles from it's original location we knew without our help all four babies would perish. So Mike called me up there to run to the store to get the supplies to take care of the babies. All 4 babies have their eyes open and some feathers and fortunately none of them have any signs of avian pox. They were taking the food from me today and digesting the food okay so we have high hopes for them. It will be nice when they are done being raised that they have a safe spot to live. We live close to some woods and the river so I'm sure after we set them free they will find a new home, but I thought it would be neat to journal their progress and take some pics. Teddy (our Collie/Shepard mix) doesn't quite know what to think about them but the kids like to watch momma feed the new babies and everyone knows that the babies need to be handled as little as possible.