chick update 4

Thu, Aug 4, 2011

We have fledglings! Dawn opened the netting round the top of the pot to feed them today and they legged it out and flew round the room! She managed to get them back in though and we debated what to do. I think it may have spooked them a bit as normally they go mental when I appear with food but this time they flattened themselves against the bottom of the pot and stayed silent for a long time. We thought it was time they got to know their surroundings. So we took them outside.

They were very vocal and the local sparrows chirped back at them.

They flew around the pot a bit and onto the bush but they’re still a bit wonky on their wings, although the wee one headed into a nice cosy spot between the bush and the boulder.

Unfortunately it looked like their feathers weren’t quite ready for the wet. Not producing enough oil I think and they started to look at bit bedraggled after a couple of minutes.

So we brought them back in and they’re back in their pot for now, until we can make sure they have a fighting chance of getting through their first night outside. Unavoidably they aren’t afraid of us and hopped onto our hands from the bush and they obviously think the pot is their nest as they didn’t want to go too far from it. No doubt all that will change as they mature a bit more over the next few days. At some point they’ll have to go out though. It’s not fair to keep them inside, especially now that they’re flying. I envied them really. Humans are born, learn to walk then, well, keep walking. Birds learn to walk, then they fly. What a wonderful experience it must be. An experience that must never be denied. I abhor bird cages and the people who incarcerate birds in them. They might not stand as good a chance as the nest bred sparrows but at least they won’t spend their lives behind bars.