I left my computer on last night so that I would get some early pictures. This one was taken just after the light was switched on at 5:51am! As you can see, all seven chicks are still in the nest box.
It is now 11 past 8 and I am up to see the fun! And still none of the chicks has fledged.
An hour and a quarter later and at last a chick has hopped up to the nest box exit hole to see what is outside!
The parents are still coming in with food. Here in the top right of the picture you can see one of them has brushed past the chick on the hole to bring yet another feed for one of the chicks.
"We're not going!" say the chicks. (The seventh chick is almost buried at the top of the bunch!)
One of the chicks investigates the exit hole again. Having never seen any further then the side of the nest box, it must take some getting used to.
This is taken at the same time as the previous picture. Is it going to fly?
Not at this time. After a while it drops back into the nest box.
A couple of hours later, a chick is at the exit again.
A couple of hours later, a chick is looking outside again.
"Don't leave us!"
"Where's he gone?"
Yes! The first chick fledges! (Chick 1)