Mum (or is it Dad?) with food for her 10 chicks! All 10 gapes are clearly visible here - the least obvious one is the partially open beak in the bottom left of the nest cup.
It's good to see that all the chicks have survived so far.
One of the chicks has crawled out of the nest cup and gives us an excellent view of its wing feathers. Don't the chicks grow rapidly! To think that only 14 days ago, these chicks were just pink blobs having just escaped from their eggs!
This chick is having a really good wing flapping session - this is a sure sign that the chicks will be fledging soon. Our estimated fledge date is 25th May, but it is difficult to believe that they will stay that long in the nest box.
Saturday 24th May, 2008
There definitely appears to be plenty of food around this year. Here is Sally with a couple of green caterpillars, the chicks staple diet at this time in their lives.
Perhaps an abundance of food is the reason why the chicks development appears to be so advanced.
Incidentally, I can only see 8 chicks here. Where on earth are the other two hiding? And why aren't they after the food too? Perhaps they are half asleep at the bottom of the nest with full stomachs?
Freda's eggs are still intact. We expect them to hatch out tomorrow.
It's bedlam in there! This is another clear picture of a parent with all 10 chicks clamouring for food!
Ah! A much more restful scene taken in mid afternoon. A couple of the chicks are resting well out of the nest cup - and two more must be buried somewhere deep at the bottom - I can only count 8 heads here!
It's now after 7pm and a late picture of Freda's eggs shows us that hatching has not yet started.
We're keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow!