May 30, 2008 - Fledglings out on their own!

I saw Ricky in our neighbors yard; he was on the ground chirping and looking up into a tree. Sure enough, I looked up and saw two fledglings hopping around on a branch in the tree. One of them got spooked and hopped up to the top of the tree, branch by branch. The other stayed completely still right where it was.



It was so cool to see the babies out and about. It was good to know they made it through their first night away from the nest. I was hoping to catch one fly but they were too afraid. From what I can tell, they just sit on a branch all day and the parents feed them. From time to time, I will see Ricky try to coax them out of a tree, they only have two weeks to learn how to fly, forage, find water and protect themselves.

Calling Ricky for more food

I thought that feeding nestlings was hard. The parents are now working double-time trying to feed the babies. Two of them seem to be sticking together so Ricky is feeding both of them. Lucy and the littlest fledgling are no where to be seen. Hopefully they are together somewhere.

VIDEO: Ricky feeding a fledgling in a tree

May 27, 2008 - Adorable, amazing and gross

Here is a video of the birds preening, learning to stand and stretch/flap their wings. It's amazing how fast they grow and how strong they are at less than two weeks old! Luckily, while they were exercizing and cleaning themselves, Lucy showed up for a feeding. Not so lucky, I got a visual of what happens after they digest the food.



(This video is a little longer than the rest, you have to let it load and buffer for a minute before it plays)