WC-glad you were able to save the babies.
Today's Weather in Your Garden - 25
Thanks Jen, its up to the parents now, (though I'll be watching to make sure they're ok)... after all I'm their grandpa' now! lol! ☺
Secured the nest to the basket using nylon coated wire, then opened the top of the new nest a little to allow the female to gain easy access to all the young. Then I used a ladder to raise the whole package to the 6' level of the tree.
Congratulations grandpa! Good Job and I hope they all do well. Go take a well deserved rest someplace cool. :)
... Then I bent some branches and wired them to each other to make a nook to support the nest and wired the new nest to the branches on all four sides, making sure the nest is level and secure.
Luckily the female has accepted my intervention and watched intently while I worked. As soon as I finished and removed the ladder she flew to the nest to claim her spot. Now they're tucked in for the night, and I can try to salvage what's left of my day! lol! They are 10' from one of my windows so I'll be able to keep an eye on them ... just in case they need a contractor to do some house repairs of course! ☺
Will do ngam! ☺
WC - that mamma mockingbird probably thinks she won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes!!! That's some classy nest now! Good for you! I hope they do well!
Sherrie - that is an old wive's tale about the mom abandoning a baby that has been touched. I've touched several and the Mom picked right back up with them......thankfully!!
Great job, WC!
She must think you are God! Great job!!!
Nahhh, when she sees the sun come up in the morning she knows who God is... ☺
- Thanks for all your support! ☺
Well, I didn't want to rank you as second best!
☺!
WC2, Fabulous innovative ideas to save the birds, plus the pictures are first rate. Patti
Thanks Patti, just privileged to have been able to help out & happy to have been able to share it with you guys. ☺
Taken though the window just now...
The whole scinerio was just magic
They look hungry! Seems to be working fine, WC.
Mama's sitting there saying, "You see, children, Miracles DO Happen!"
Ahhhh. I just love happy endings don't you. :) Nice job WC!
You did the right thing, WC. I have started a new thread on wildlife for those who have ?s or whatever. NEVER give a young or injured birds anything by mouth, esp. from a dropper. Everything you did was A+. As long as Mama knows where they are, they should be okay. BTW, all baby birds have distinct baby calls, so your Mama bird can actually distinguish between her babes and other Mocker babes! Isn't Mother Nature great?
So touching the babes is not a problem?
... dont worry Victor, I haven't developed a rash yet! (besides I touched them as little as possible, their skin was very thin and fragile). ☺
Thanks Morrigan, no, I'm not into the eyedropper thing, (I know that from Canaries), besides meaning instant choking for the kiddies, I'll let mama & dada handle the feeding. They're up from the break of dawn till sunset finding food for the young, I wouldn't want her job. They come back every time with something for them to eat. Right after they finish with the young I'm going to train them to find me some $20 bills! lol! ☺
Of course I was wondering about the birds, WC! Mama has no problem with humans touching them?
That IS an old husband's tale :-)) Birds have a lousy sense of smell, you can handle just about ANY baby wild animal (not that you should) as long as your are not wearing heavy perfumes, fabric softeners, etc. Sometimes, if I am in doubt for any reason (never with birds) and have to put a babe back into a nest/den/bushes/etc., I will rub my hands vigorously in the dirt/grass/water to get THAT scent on me just to be sure. BTW, NEVER handle and amphibian without wetting your hands and fingers first - they have a protective coating over their skin (which they do actually breathe through) and the oils in our skin can interrupt that coating, causing them significant damage. WC: I don't know where on LI you are, but if you tell me, I can give you a list of wl rehabbers nearest you in case you don't get as lucky next time around. Okay, gotta go feed the dogs, cats, bunnies, and my husband. AND never mind any jokes about him getting fed last. He's gotten used to it!!!! :-))))) I don;t want anyone to tell him its unnatural - he thinks it is. LOL
I'll leave out the normal heavy perfumes from now on.
That's a relief... I can relax & take a deep breath now. ☺
Oh It makes me think when I rescue the turtle eggs... so good to contribute with nature... love those cute babies... every year I let the robins build nests under the porch... this year I covered the area in 2 sides so they don't get wet and have enough shade... and I get to see them from far away...
Rain, glorious Rain. I am hoping it last all day. Map looks good. Oops now stopping, dang.
Of course, DH has a oil tanker coming in today. It is a hundred feet longer than the old one. Might be a total nightmare for him. I worry about the lightning, but now we are clearing again, I will do a little rain dance later when he is done to bring back more rain. I learned one from an old BF who was an Am Indian dancer when I was a kid in OK. Never worked for me, but I will try to remember it. I will probably get arrested as a mad women. Patti
It will be worth it if you get the rain, Patti.
Great shot, WC! You did such a good thing!
Morrigan - thanks for all of that great info. I'm sure that will come in handy to know. Tell your DH that you are just looking out for him since "good things come to those who wait." LOL....... You are a saint in my book.
Time To Fly
Six days after saving the Mocking bird nest the fledglings started to leave the nest today. Just after the rains ended and the sun came out in the afternoon their feathers dried and they took off, ( or semi –flew/ hopped off). The parents are still feeding all four wherever they go but one still remains in the tree, most probably gone by tomorrow. They’re capable of negotiating tree branches now and can climb as well. I suspect they’ll stick around even as adults, visiting the tree they were born in every now and then . ☺
pic 1 of 2
“The Three Mockateers”
Pic 2 of 2
The Fourth Mockateer, (always out on a limb!) ☺
Great shot! Boy, they made lots of progress so quickly.
I just loved the photos of those adorable babies, WC! Nice that you gave us the outcome after last week's drama. The pic of the "Three Mockateers" is priceless! You did the right thing by helping them to reach this phase. - Lynn
Thanks Victor, it was an 'easy' shot... they know me! ☺
Thanks Lynn, to have turned my 'back' to them was unthinkable! ☺
It seemed like a race against time, the parents feeding them like a conveyor belt. The male bringing them berries, the female bringing them protein. Then I realized it WAS a race against time... Fall is only 2 mos away!
WC2, wow what a victory. You get the first gold metal this summer for your quick dash to save them and then we should give one to the parents for their stellar relay race.
I finally have had some real rain. No problems. Just bands of rain. I am still up listening to it. Very happy. Patti
Very nice WC. They are so cute. I had a brood of Wrens and Downy Woodpeckers in my yard and I got such a kick out of them.