The nest box is now empty - the chicks fledged yesterday morning between 6:30 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. so we missed the live event and had to content ourselves with an action reply! We had intended setting up the video camera to catch the action from outside but the birds were too early for us!
Only three chicks actually fledged as another chick died on Tuesday evening. I think our problem has been a bossy big chick. It pushed the smaller ones out of the way when food was offered and also pecked at its siblings especially very small ones. I'm guessing that the three to fledge were all the ones that hatched first although even then there was quite a size difference. I am also assuming that maybe one egg didn't hatch as we never saw 8 chicks all at once and we didn't see another dead chick.
We'll have to watch TV again now! The latest video clips are available from the link on the sidebar but be warned the last one is about 5 minutes long - I did cut the drama down as much as I could but I wanted to show how hesitant the chicks were.
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So glad to know that some of the chicks survived and flew the nest. In a way it is sad to see the weaker babies pass but that is mother nature I guess...only the strong survive....even if the babies had survived in the nest they may never have got past their first flight out in the world. Hope you get some others nesting there soon....maybe even another batch of eggs this year?!?!
ReplyDeleteThat's survival of the fittest I guess. Shame you missed the live event, but at least you didn't miss the action completely. I'd say your bird cam has been a great success. Glad I'm able to comment again, I've been having problems commenting on some blogs this week, ones with the work verification seem to be worst.
ReplyDeleteNow that you have mentioned this, I am conscious that our starlings must have fledged too (thanks goodness!)
ReplyDeleteIn my garden at present I have a big gangly Magpie fledgeling, flapping about in an ungainly way. It looks ridiculous seeing his parents still feeding him when he is bigger than either of them!
Apparently, Tanya from a clutch of eggs eventually only about two birds survive but I'd have expected more to fledge as others we have had in the garden have produced more fledged chicks =- I guess we just had a Rambo chick in this box.
ReplyDeleteYes it was a shame Jo but there's always next time. Were you using Internet Explorer when you tried to comment? I couldn't comment on some blogs using IE but could if I used Google Chrome.
Mark - Where I once taught one of our cleaners thought pied wagtails were baby magpies
ReplyDeleteGlad some of the chicks made it into the big wide world!
ReplyDeleteSo am I Damo - we have all sorts of fledglings in the garden at the moment - just seen our young robin who is just getting its red feathers. Not sure what spring watch will do this year - most of the birds are likely to have gone!
ReplyDeleteDid Darwin said something about survival for fitness/Fitness for survival? or I mess up my English again;-). Now a new journey has begun for the birds...spread their wings...
ReplyDeleteHe did Diana - survival of the fittest which was certainly the case with our bully bird
ReplyDelete