A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than that of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact. - Aldo Leopold

Friday, May 28, 2010

Baby Wrens Update 1

Here's a quick update on the baby wrens.
I think the wren eggs hatched on May 16th and my earlier photo shows them at 1 day old. The following 2 photos show them at 4 and 6 days old.
They're developing rapidly, as you would expect if they're going to fledge by day 14. At day 4, they still have bare skin showing, but by day 6 they're completely covered by feathers. Their eyes are still shut.
I'm trying really hard to not disturb them constantly. The parents are not in the nest all of the time. In fact, I did not see them when I took these two photos. Before, when I took photos of the eggs and then when I would check to see if they'd hatched, the mother bird was always in the nest.
The parents must be out gathering food and I've seen a Carolina Wren in oak trees near the garage.

2 comments:

  1. so fun! did you have the urge to prod them a bit to wake them up for your day 6 picture? i would not be a good nature photographer.

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  2. I have to admit to making chirping sounds to see if they would open their beaks!

    In general, though, I tried to be quiet.

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