They grew up so fast! It was difficult to get good pictures, what will all the parental protection and all. Here a couple of enthusiastic week-old beaks. The opening of the door always prompted them to pop up - like *I* was the one serving them dinner.
Last Friday, we left the house in the morning to take the car into the shop. Three of the four birds were perched on the edge of the nest, looking rather expectant. And also, puffy. Like this:
(This pic was actually taken a little later, when I realized it was probably my last chance to capture them.)
Anyway, I had gone to the end of the porch for some reason, and as I came back toward the nest and approached the stairs (below the nest), there was a sudden furious flutter, swoosh, and SPLAT! as one of the little ones took flight, while simultaneously letting go a copious volume of shit. Which missed me by inches. (He landed across the street in the neighbour's driveway, and disappeared shortly thereafter.)
I snapped the picture above when we got back, and sometime later in the morning, these two fellas took off, unwitnessed by us. The last one was finally perched in solitude on the edge of the nest, and took flight when I came out with some laundry to hang. Bye bye birdie!
And we were left with a silent, friendly porch, and a mountain of bird crap under the nest to clean up. Which, naturally, we are still trying to get around to doing.
2 comments:
Excellent pictures. Why do you think they were so puffy?
Hm, good question? My first guess would be defense mechanism: all puffed out like that, they don't look like tiny, helpless, baby birds...
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