Our Feeding Stations :):)

I checked on the Chicks when I got in this evening and I have a photo of one of them, I cant see the other chick but I am hoping its behind the one at the front as he does seem to stay hunkered down a fair bit and is at the other side of the nest. In this photo you can see how big he is getting now.

The sun was in his eyes and he kept blinking but he was quite happy sitting there.

Eyes wide open in this one


The are growing so fast now and I notice a difference from yesterday and I am hoping I don't miss them fledge when it happens.
Glad you liked the other photo's WS & Lai

littlewid-x-

Oh my word he/she is huge, the difference each day in amazing Great photos Littlewid and I am enjoying your daily update

Lai

What you been feeding them on LW their ginormous. You'll have to put some scaffolding round that nest at that rate . I would'nt worry about the second one it will be behind the first as you say.
WS

I have'nt taken any Feeder Pics, or Vids this year with the weather being so bad. So I though I'd have a little session this morning
Mrs S's Fat Food Attraction
Hmmmm Nuts or Fat Food Nuts or Fat Food Nuts or Fat Food

Fat Food

Ho no here come them flippin noisy Starlings with their new Baby

Can I have some more Mum

I'd better grab some while there's some left


A Mrs S & WS production

WS - I love those photos, really beautiful pics of the Greater spotted woodpecker, he's a very fine looking bird and obviously enjoying Mrs S's fat food as well as the peanuts.

The clips are great, I'm very envious of you having Starlings and the Magpie in the last clip made me laugh so much, really trying to get at that yummy fat food and definitely for perservering.

Thanks for sharing.

Lai

It is nice to have a few Starlings Lai, but sometimes you can get mobbed with them. As it happens we only have one pair, which we've had for a couple of years. I think that was the first flight of the fledgeling baby, and they were bringing it to show where there was food. I caught a glimpse of them this morning, and I think they have two more, I will try to get some more pics next week. The Magpie is funny, it keeps launching itself at the Fat Food loads of time in the day
WS

More photos please, I love Starlings they are beautiful birds. That magpie knows that Mrs S makes the best fat food and is obviously determined to get at it

Lai

brilliant photo's and clips WS and I am glad you got your camera out, that was a real treat
Those birds aren't silly by choosing Mrs S's fat balls, sensible birds I say I loved the fledgling starling being fed by mum, that was so lovely and the Magpie at the end gave me a good giggle too, launching himself at the remaining fatballs
We definitely need more photo's and clips WS

Good team work Mrs S & WS

littlewid-x-

Saturday 8th June last photo of my chicks seen together.

Then a little while later, with my battery dying as I have been clicking a lot lately, this happened.
One Fledged chick
First on my summer house

Then on the garages with mum

Earlier mum had been trying to get them to fledge, she was really trying to coax them out.



Now mum and the fledged chick hung around for ages and dad also made an appearance. You could tell they were trying to encourage the other chick to leave but he was having nothing of it. Dad was the first to fly off but he was circling around and not going far. Mum seemed quite twitchy and reluctant to leave, so I sat and watched them for a long time. In the end mum and chick flew off.
Now I know that the chicks would have hatched on separate days so I thought if this little chick doesn't fledge on Saturday it would either be Sunday or today. However, he was the smaller one and the one that wasn't so active, so I was rather worried about him being on his own and by the evening mum hadn't returned to check on him. Saturday was a sunny day and nice and warm but Saturday evening it got chilly and very windy, so me being me was extremely worried for this little chick spending his first night alone and a very chilly one too. I am sure I was annoying him because I kept going and checking on him and eventually quite late I went to bed.
Sunday 9th June I got up and first thing I did was check on the chick, he was still there but not very active, I was praying for mum to return but no sign of her. It was getting a little brighter so I thought I must capture a picture of him as it would be my last opportunity, well I had forgotten to charge my batteries from the day before but hey ho one last pic would be squeezed out I am sure, so here is the last photo I have of our chicks and the last solo chick.

Well my battery must have known it would be my last shot because it seemed to charge enough energy for a fairly good shot.
A little while later, mum made an appearance, no dad or sibling, she stayed for a while and then went again, I thought this may be a tactic to get this little chick to leave the nest. I went out for a few hours and when I came back the chick was still there and mum appeared again. I thought it's today and now or maybe Monday or maybe never as I was wondering if this chick was ok as it was no way as near as active as the other one. Anyway I went into the garden and mum was again encouraging the chick, I came in to get my phone to take a photo and by the time I went out, they had gone in a flash. I was sorry I had missed this fledge but I was also so pleased the chick had flown the nest with mum, it was a huge relief and it was only after it had gone, I realised how much I had worried about it and was worried it was not well, so I was really joyfull it had flown off with mum.
Now I have an empty nest and it feels very odd looking at it, so I am hoping they may lay another clutch in there as the parents seemed really content in that tree and nest, so fingers crossed.
So when Safariman said I would be a human mum to the chicks he was right and worry about them I surely did but it was fantastic to see them grow, see how relaxed mum and dad were with me in the garden and to see one of them fledge.
My own little Springwatch
littlewid-x-

Littlewid for an excellent update and photos and definitely your very own Springwatch. That's such great news that both fledged albeit on different days and giving you the heeby jeebies. It's amazing how much anxiety these birds can cause at this time of year. Let's hope they both thrive and that perhaps the parents have another clutch.

Thanks for sharing Littlewid, and I can't believe how quickly times flies.

Lai

Brilliant pics, and update story LW. That's great that they have both fledged successfully, and as they've had a safe, and peaceful time in your Garden, hopefully they will have another clutch. I'm surprised you wernt sneaking out in your Jim Jams all night to see if the second one had gone
A great big for LW's own WAA Springwatch
WS

Thank you Lai & WS, I have enjoyed keeping an eye on them and posting updates and WS I left out that I was actually up most of the night checking on the little chick when he was left all alone, I couldn't sleep with worrying about him so I was out there in the wind in my Jim Jams being a good human mum

Tuesday 11th June
As in Springwatch all can change in a flash. It has been raining this afternoon and has been pretty dismal. When I got home I let Nero out into the garden and I happened to look up at the nest and low and behold, there was the second chick in the nest! I knew it was him as he is slightly smaller than the other one and Mum was sitting on the garages. I couldn't believe they had come back. The first chick to fledge is not around or not that I can see anyway but the chick has remained in the nest and mum is now spending most of her time siting on top of my bird feeder keeping an eye on him. He is being sensible and keeping out of the rain. I think or hope that apart from him returning to somewhere safe and warm, mum is also keeping an eye on the nest to hopefully use again. I will keep you all posted.
Heres the chick in the nest, not in great view and trying not to get rain drops on the camera.

Mum taken from indoors

Thanks for the latest 'breaking news' Littlewid. What a sensible little chick he is staying out of the rain and back in the nest.

Keep us posted

ps I am laughing at you out in your jim jams checking it was okay, just like me out feeding birds in my jim jams whether it's raining or snowing

Lai

I knew you would be. He's either being very sensible or he's got a Mother indentity crisis Fancy both of you going out in your Jim Jams to feed the Birds

WS
Ps Mind you its very draughty in a dressing gown

WS

Lai

Lovely pics of your Doves and fledglings LW I hope they manage to survive. I definitely prefer them to the Wood Pigeons which I am plagued with who remove everything off the feeding tray immediately I fill it up and have even become adept at taking the sunflower seeds out of the seed feeder!!
I think this year times are hard for a lot of the birds and this morning I had a Robin trying his luck on the fat ball feeder something I have never seen before. The local Blue-tits have just fledged and although quite capable of feeding themselves, insist on being fed by either mum or dad.





The blue-tit chicks are almost twice the size of the poor overworked parents!!



"I want food"!!!





"I want more"!!!

Safariman

Lovely photos Safariman, all the recently fledged birds are so demanding but very wonderful to watch.

Our male bullfinch was back on the feeder today after a few weeks absence,  and we have so many Goldfinch at the moment, 6 on the feeder at one time, and others queueing waiting for their turn.

Lai

Hi Safariman
Yes both chicks fledged and even though the second one came back for a bit , he has now gone. I have mum in the nest again, I am not sure if she has laid eggs or not but I have a feeling she has as she doesn't leave unless she calls dad and he then comes and sits in the nest, so it would seem as though I may be having more little Doves hatching. I will let you know.

It is unusual to see a Robin eating from a fatball feeder but the weather keeps changing and there are young to feed as we see form your pictures of the Blue Tit chicks, they are little fatballs themselves aren't they, mum and dad have done a sterling job but surely they should be feeding themselves now?

They are lovely pictures Safariman and the greedy chicks have made me smile, they are wonderful pictures but it is amazing how small the parents are compared to the chicks.

littlewid-x-

It's funny watching the new fledgelings being fed when in most cases they are bigger than their parents. It's natures way of helping them surivive the first few days of their life while the parents show them what to eat, where to find it, and also how to catch it. We are getting a lot of Birds that are normaly ground feeders on our feeders as well, its really unusual , and as Safariman says must have something to do with the cold Spring we've had. Great photos Safaiman thamks
Your lucky with your Golfinches Lai we dont get them here, and our Greenfinches have not turned up this year which is unusual, as we've had them evey yer since we moved here.
Did'nt know you wre ambidextrous LW Phone in one had , tree in the other, mind you that tree looks like its got goosegogs not redcurrents   . Great shots of the Geese especial as they were on your phone, and it was windy

WS

I agree WS, we are lucky, but then you have starlings and we don't   Our Greenfinches came back this year and Siskins which was wonderful, at the moment it seems to be Goldfinches all around and boy are they enjoying the sunflower hearts

Lai

Amazing no sooner had I said we'd had no Greenfinches what arrives on the feeder 3 baby ones. I finaly managed to get something of the Jay, that I've been trying to get a photo of for weeks. I decided to strap my Trail Cam to a drainpipe near the feeders We were out for about 4 Hrs, and when we got back I checked the Cam. 58 1 minute Videos  I have'nt been through them all yet, but this is one of the Jay



WS

 WS - you've got a lot to go through, that's the hard part!

How funny, last night we had a Greenfinch on the sunflowers  but no babies, lucky you.

Lai

I delegated that part to Mrs S  next selection

Strange Dinner Companions 



WS

  WS - you are very lucky Mrs S is so good to you

Great clip of the woodpecker and the squirrel both happily ignoring each other and tucking in.

 WS

Lai

So that's where all Mrs S's food goes



We've got Baby Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, at least one. Mrs S saw it this morning it came with the Male, it was on our wall trying to eat a strip of carrot I will try to get it on the Trail Cam

WS