For those who missed the live video yesterday, or were unable to connect here is a video clip of some action from yesterday. The babies are now eight days old and you can see how much they have grown in that time by comparing them with the two eggs which didn't hatch. They were that size only a few days ago. Mrs GT spends a lot of time maintaining the nest cup. As the babies grow they need more room so she pushes round the inside with her head. This doesn't look very comfortable for the young ones. Every now and then she brings in more nesting material to build up the depth of the nest cup.
This is much longer than the clips I usually upload.
The Brat Pack (dozens of Starlings and their offspring) continue their noisy invasion of the feeders every morning and stay all day. Once the feeders are empty the juveniles are parked in the apple trees next door while the adults fly off to find food. Many of them can be seen on the cricket field at the end of the lane searching for grubs and worms in the mown grass.
Here is a small section of the group of youngsters waiting for their next meal to arrive. Clicking on the photo will take you to a larger version.
Hi John, we missed your video feed yesterday so we were delighted to see the clip you posted this morning. It was gas to see Mummy place the food in one chick's mouth only to find it seemed too big, so she removed it and fed it to another chick and so on. You must be glued to the live feed just to see what she does, in the same way that we were glued to the clip you posted. Thanks again for the fantastic footage - it gives a wonderful insight into the lives of a very special GT family.
ReplyDeleteFascinating video John, and such an attentive mother.
ReplyDeleteThose little ones get quite lively at times.
Love the shot of the Starling crèche.
Hello Twosie. It is fascinating to watch the happenings in the nest box. The babies are growing really fast now. Not surprising, the amount of food they get through.
ReplyDeleteHello Keith. They can really stretch up now and have started flexing their wings. The rate the parents fetch food I am surprised there are any insects left in the garden.
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