Going,Going.......GONE!!

Hi Everyone!

Well it's been over a week and the Song Sparrow chicks have left the nest! I was able to visit at the right time and witness the first leavening. Before I lifted up the branch to look I stood back and saw the little one moving around then he made the big leap. In an instant he was gone. But I was worried that he left because he may have seen me. He did not have his full feathers in yet and I felt that he was a goner because of this. I decided to look for him because when he jumped he jumped right below into the shrub, and like I said I thought he was too young to go. After no luck I left and came back an hour or so later and checked the nest all four nestlings remained until one let out a few notes and they all exploded from the nest. Just like there sibling they were gone in an instant. At that point I figured they were all too young to go and it was my fault but there was nothing I could do about it. (I already got a rash from looking for the other one) So I went home and did some reading, it turns out Song Sparrows leave the nest at 10 days of age. And what do you know...They where three days old when I found them on the 30th let's see 31,1,2,3,4,5,6 EXACTLY ten days. I felt so relieved! Anyhow after figuring that out I watched the shrub from close by and heard the chicks calling and saw one of the parents going into the shrub with food. So I decided to see if I could go get some pictures of the chicks. It did not take very long to find them as they were quite vocal. I soon came to the realisation that they could climb up and down and all around in this very thick shrub. I got some beautiful shots and left for the night.













Well it's been four days now and I have heard no chicks nor have I seen any. The parent's fire some alarm calls all the time so I hope that means they are still alive. I hope to see some of these guys in the near future. All I can do is let nature take its course with these little ones and I'm wishing it's for the better. __________________________________________________________

The Dark-eyed Junco's have also left the nest and have not since been seen. Hopefully these guys are doing okay too. Here are some photo's of the little ones (thanks Shauna):
Dad

Parents

Day 8

Day 11

Day 12



Day 13

Last to leave

Exploring


Thanks for reading,