Two fledglings leave the nest
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I had been watching this nest off and on for about a week. I decided I should check again after a couple of days out of town. The mother was feeding what looked like little, as yet unformed, babies.
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But then this little guy popped up looking quite ready to fledge!
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There was a great fluttering of wings and sure enough, out he climbed onto the nearby branch.
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I had to go to an appointment and couldn’t wait around to see what would happen next but I was able to return about an hour later and now both of the chicks were sitting outside the nest and screaming for food. (Last summer I had watched parents bringing food to 3 chicks in their nest and the next day the nest was empty. I was super bummed and assumed they had been killed because they seemed way too immature to leave the nest; but now, seeing how little these guys appeared even on the day they left the nest, I hope that last year’s chicks also successfully fledged.)
Here they are in the branches getting fed by their parents. The first one out was clearly a bit more lively and aggressive and seemed to get more food but sometimes they brought food only for the smaller one down below. Cuteness alert!
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Here’s a juicy morsel for the bigger chick.
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Here are shots around the nest after they were out.
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This was a bit strange. It looks like the chick below is gagging and then a white bubble appeared on its beak.
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And finally a bunch of pictures of the two little guys. If you look closely, you can see them napping in a couple of the shots.
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