Summer is the time when birds are raising a family. The first clue may be a bird flying with twigs, leaves or even strings, the elements of nest construction. By watching closely, you may be able to find their nests and watch the family develop. Once you have found the nest, you should make your visits brief, just for a minute to avoid disturbing the family. A quick photograph is a good way to follow their development. Ben Caruthers sent me these photos of a Carolina Wren family.
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| Freshly hatched and naked |
Initially they will be incubating the eggs and the parents will only be leaving the nest for a couple of minutes to avoid chilling their brood. In some species, only the female broods the eggs while the male hangs around nearby. Once the eggs have hatched, the pace picks up as the parents begin flying on the hunt for insects to feed their young. The naked chicks initially sleep soundly but in a few days they may respond to your visit with open mouth, expecting a nice juicy caterpillar.
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| Partially dressed in downy feathers |
Over the next couple of weeks they start to develop their feathers, a look that resembles a tousled look of a “bed head.” During the third week they will lose some of their fluff and start to look more like a teenager.
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| Day 14 - fully feathered and ready to fledge |
Some species fledge during the third week. It is important during this time to avoid disturbing them as a premature fledging puts them in danger, entering the cold cruel world before they are prepared.
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| Freshly fledged Phoebe |
Safe nest watching pointers are available at Nestwatch.org Code of Conduct.
As I finished writing this yesterday, a tiny downy feather came floating down and landed on my keyboard. I was sitting on the couch in our family room with no birds in sight. Spooky!
