And it was all going so well...
Jun. 25th, 2012 11:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaceyHere's the last part of the mistle thrush story, but it's not a happy ending, I'm afraid.
Three very beaky and healthy chicks in the nest on 21st June.
At this point I guess they were each the size of a small sparrow and very perky.
And Mum was hopping back and forth feeding them, with dad hovering nearby most of the time - and taking his turn
And then the rain set in so mum hunkered down over the nest and fluffed herself out to cover it.
But yesterday afternoon BB found a chick in the middle of the lawn. No idea how it got there. It may have fallen or been pushed out of the nest and had enough life in it to get that far, or it may have been snatched by a predator and dropped. My money's on the former, since there didn't seem to be any blood.
And then there were two.
Mum was sitting tight yesterday afternoon.
But around six p.m. something was definitely upsetting both parent birds. They were agitated and flying round. A couple of times they tried to divebomb the living room window (below the nest) as we looked out. I checked the nest around six this morning and mum was sitting happily, but when I got up at nine she was off the nest and the chicks were horribly still. I've always been able to see them moving before, not just fluttering but breathing, but this time there was no sign of life. There was a thrush in the garden and I could see the shadow of one on the roof ridge, but they weren't coming close. I checked again ten minutes later and the chicks were in exactly the same position.
Dead. 25th June 2013.
I don't know what killed them. maybe it was the unseasonal cold, wet and windy weather that chilled them while Mum was away foraging. Perhaps with only two chicks in the nest they couldn't maintain warmth for very long. I've really no idea, but sad as it is that's the way nature works.
I'm sorry the clutch failed. The way things were going on I figured she'd end up with one chick, but I didn't expect her to lose all of them. As you can see they were just beginning to get a few feathers, but they were still very vulnerable.
By ten this morning there was no sign of thrushes in the garden at all. BB says he'll give it until tomorrow and then get out the ladder and remove the nest and the dead chicks from the windowsill.
Mistle thrush chicks RIP
Three very beaky and healthy chicks in the nest on 21st June.
At this point I guess they were each the size of a small sparrow and very perky.
And Mum was hopping back and forth feeding them, with dad hovering nearby most of the time - and taking his turn
And then the rain set in so mum hunkered down over the nest and fluffed herself out to cover it.
But yesterday afternoon BB found a chick in the middle of the lawn. No idea how it got there. It may have fallen or been pushed out of the nest and had enough life in it to get that far, or it may have been snatched by a predator and dropped. My money's on the former, since there didn't seem to be any blood.
And then there were two.
Mum was sitting tight yesterday afternoon.
But around six p.m. something was definitely upsetting both parent birds. They were agitated and flying round. A couple of times they tried to divebomb the living room window (below the nest) as we looked out. I checked the nest around six this morning and mum was sitting happily, but when I got up at nine she was off the nest and the chicks were horribly still. I've always been able to see them moving before, not just fluttering but breathing, but this time there was no sign of life. There was a thrush in the garden and I could see the shadow of one on the roof ridge, but they weren't coming close. I checked again ten minutes later and the chicks were in exactly the same position.
Dead. 25th June 2013.
I don't know what killed them. maybe it was the unseasonal cold, wet and windy weather that chilled them while Mum was away foraging. Perhaps with only two chicks in the nest they couldn't maintain warmth for very long. I've really no idea, but sad as it is that's the way nature works.
I'm sorry the clutch failed. The way things were going on I figured she'd end up with one chick, but I didn't expect her to lose all of them. As you can see they were just beginning to get a few feathers, but they were still very vulnerable.
By ten this morning there was no sign of thrushes in the garden at all. BB says he'll give it until tomorrow and then get out the ladder and remove the nest and the dead chicks from the windowsill.
Mistle thrush chicks RIP
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Date: Jun. 25th, 2012 12:17 pm (UTC)