Watching them grow

[Second Cousin Dave]

My five babies that fledged June 23 are doing well. Their step dad has stopped feeding them and mostly stands guard while they crowd into the cage feeder when I put out meal worms. The little ones are still quite clumsy and still make bad decisions, like trying to land in a place another bird already occupies.

Here is a sequence that I witnessed this afternoon.

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598257362_T79kt-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598257561_NN3Fv-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598257959_QMqSs-XL.jpg




http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598258095_uFSqn-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598257694_Vv2xt-XL.jpg

Here StepDad comes down on the fledge's head.

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598258238_tsPiX-XL.jpg

In case you want to see it closer.

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598258285_HJRGQ-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598257842_EMpVg-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598258489_vmx7F-XL.jpg

And finally, a few in-flight shots, also from this afternoon.

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598259313_piksd-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598259251_qYqHe-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598259414_9KDnw-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598258845_adgSs-XL.jpg

And lastly, a closeup shot of a fledgling in flight. Unfortunately, the bird was in the shade and the background is sunlit.

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/598259135_iFKyp-XL.jpg

Incidentally, Mama is sitting on four eggs in her fourth nest of this season.

UPDATE

The four eggs I mentioned just above hatched and the nestlings all fledged successfully last week. Here is one of them as he left.

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/620093511_9aRL8-X2.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/620093538_stX2n-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/620093564_v3Tvq-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/620093604_gQjEt-XL.jpg

http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/photos/620093630_AhYJj-XL.jpg