The chicks are growing quickly. Yesterday the chick I call One tried to make a break for it three times. In the morning, One crawled out of the nest and perched on the edge, only to have Mama Bird swoop in to tell One to get back into the nest. The second time One perched on the edge, One lost balance and stretched out a wing to push against the light and fall back into the nest. In the evening, One was back to perching on the edge and pushing Four around in the nest to make room. Mama showed up and One promptly got two or three beak pecks on the back.
Everytime I leave the house, I expect to see fewer than four in the nest. One is definitely as big as its Mama and ready to leave, and Two is close behind. Three just opened its eyes yesterday and is losing pinfeathers, and Four is still looking like the naked ugly cute thing it is.
It appears that the diet for the chicks has changed. Mama is bringing some kind of round berry to the nest. It almost looks like a buckthorn berry, but I don’t know if they are ripe yet. Or maybe they are leftovers from last year.
We spend a lot of time on the deck watching the nest. It’s the best reality show available! I’m enjoying taking photos and accidentally getting a video or two. I hope you’re enjoying the journey through these blog posts.