The pair of purple finches raising their chicks in our yew tree out front just can't seem to get it right! They built their nest so precariously that it's tipped over a few times already, with the hatchlings falling to the ground each time. The first time, Sandy (our gardener) rescued 2 of the 3 newly hatched babies (one had taken too hard of a fall) and put the nest back. A week or so later the nest toppled over again, and she returned it to the tree with a bit of cardboard underneath to help level it.
Here she is holding one of the chicks:
Well, this morning I awoke to find the cats excitedly watching Finch TV through the glass doors.
The nest had fallen completely out of the tree, and one of the babies
was holding as still as possible a few feet away, probably hoping to
look invisible.
I put the nest back, this time a little lower down but
on some very stable branches, and gently put the bird back in. His
parents were fluttering around and watching from a distance.
I hope the little guy is getting ready to fledge soon, because I don't know how much more of this he can take!
Here she is holding one of the chicks:
Well, this morning I awoke to find the cats excitedly watching Finch TV through the glass doors.
The nest had fallen completely out of the tree, and one of the babies
was holding as still as possible a few feet away, probably hoping to
look invisible.
I put the nest back, this time a little lower down but
on some very stable branches, and gently put the bird back in. His
parents were fluttering around and watching from a distance.
I hope the little guy is getting ready to fledge soon, because I don't know how much more of this he can take!
Good going, dude. Now you've defeated the order of nature, which is that really stupid finches are not supposed to reproduce themselves. Don't blame me a couple years from now, when your neighborhood is full of the world's dumbest birds. -- Hal
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