Bluetit Diary    May 2008 (18)

 

 

Wednesday 28th May (part2)

Two and a half hours have passed since the first six chicks left the nest.  During this period, their parents continued to come with food from time to time, but none of the remaining four chicks has looked the least bit interested in leaving the nest box.

Suddenly, just after 10 o'clock, one of the chicks jumped up to the nest box hole ...

... and flew!  It did it with such style that you could believe that it had been doing it all its life!

Now there are only three chicks left!

As usual at this stage of a brood of chicks fledging, the remaining chicks appear not just to have no interest in fledging, but to be frightened of the thought.  They huddle together for comfort and keep to the corners of the nest box or stay low down in what is left of the nest cup.

"We're definitely not going!"

But suddenly, only six seconds later one of them jumped up on to the hole.

Get ready!

Go!

Go?

I don't think this chick wants to let go!

Go on - you've got to let go of the box!

You can still see that its feet are firmly clamped to the bottom of the nest box hole.

This was the last picture the system took of this chick leaving.  I think it must have got the idea eventually!