Day 4: I photographed the babies on Day 1 or 2 (not sure exactly when they hatched), but they were really hard to see. They were kind of slimy and breathing heavily after the exertion of hatching. I was surprised to see two chicks since I'd only seen one egg in the nest! However, for the next 5 days, I only saw one baby. I wondered if the other had been snatched or if maybe I'd been mistaken about seeing two on hatch day.
Day 7: I'm not crazy! There are definitely two babies in there! They were fluffier and less grumpy-looking today.
Day 9: This is the first day I've seen the babies on their own in the nest! I started to worry but noticed a couple mourning doves on the phone wires across the street. Dan said it must have been "date night" for the parents. The babies were just a few days away from leaving the nest, so it makes sense that they get a little time on their own.
Day 11: On his way out the door this morning, Dan called to me that one of the babies was on the ground. I rushed outside all worried, but Dan had seen it fly almost up to the roof line! I took some photos of it hiding near the bushes. By the time I got home from work, both babies had fledged the nest. I looked around in the bushes for them but they were either well-hidden or had moved locations. According to the Internet, they will stay on the ground for a few days while the parents continue to care for them. Best of luck, little chicks!
In other springtime news: While on vacation last week, I got a text from our neighbor that a deer had birthed two fawns in our backyard! I was disappointed to miss it (although not that disappointed since we were in HAWAII!) The neighbor sent a couple videos (hence the grainy screenshots here) so I was able to see the little deer wobbling around in the yard. Then I took some photos of one of the babies hiding in our overgrown grass when we returned home! We are loving watching the wildlife in our new yard! (Though we could do with fewer moles.)
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