Feeding time

A lazy, unedited video of the action today. Both birds doing a terrific job of feeding the seven chicks. Two unhatched eggs can be glimpsed under the hatchlings - I suspect these won't make it now the mother is busy hunting for caterpillars...

Hatchlings!

First egg hatched morning of 14th May. We've got snippets of video, but no time right now to curate. Here are some snapshots. Firstly, one of two brand new chicks...

Secondly, the proud parents bringing some food...

And finally, a shot from today, with the classic gaping mouth shot...

They are proving much harder to count than I thought - hopefully that will get easier as they get bigger. We think there are six at the moment, and I am not sure whether that leaves some eggs missing in action.

Stay tuned...

On the nest

A couple of short videos today. Firstly, our male is bringing his mate the occasional morsel of food. Apparently that is the best the nesting female can hope for, and is a good sign that he will do his bit when the chicks need feeding...

Even when he's not bringing her food himself, he is still on duty - she calls and he guards the nest whilst she's out feeding. This video shows that, although hearing his voice requires focus as the microphone is inside the box. He's looking after though, which crucially means he is not raising another family on the side!

Incubation central

Bluey has been sitting on her eggs for a few days now, eating only briefly to feed at odd intervals. The male is in evidence, but we've only once seen him bring her food. He is guarding the area whilst she nips out though. With our feeders still in place, it isn't taking her very long to get topped up.

We think the clutch size is nine, although she keeps hiding the eggs when she goes out, with just a few on show. If they all hatch we'll know how many eggs there were - you can't hide a hungry chick!

Clutch progress

Quick update...

Eggs!

So much for one egg a day. Like the proverbial bus, you wait around over a year for an egg to appear, then three tun up at once...

You can imagine the excitement that they caused!

She is roosting on top of them tonight - I thought she might stay away until the clutch was complete and she started incubating them. However, they are laid on the bare floor, so maybe that will keep them cool for now? We are learning day by day...

Weekend update

Little to report. All in order - both birds visiting regularly, female still roosting and still finessing the nest. Male seems very attentive despite his scruffy appearance, so we are still hopeful he will pull his weight.

We are worried about the volume of food available in the garden (10 chicks x 100 caterpillars per day per chick), and are looking at options to provide fresh wax worms. Sounds delicious!

Here is a quick snap of the increasingly fluffy nest...