Monday, July 11, 2011

Cardinals, continued

The food deliveries to the baby went on all afternoon. The parents tried to lure the kid to a different branch away from path, but child stayed put, snuggled where it felt safe.






At this point I went back upstairs figuring the baby would roost on this close branch for the night.

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At 7:50pm I went back downstairs just in time to see baby fly to ground with both parents directing it. This was not an expert flight. The landing in the dirt was bobbled. Once there its expression looked like, "Will this do?"

Well, no. The parents kept calling and flying further. So the baby obeyed and flew to the grass. Flying was a straight line about 18" off the ground, no elevation of merit. Again, "Is this where you want me?"



This was not where they wanted their child. So child scrambled to wood chip area under trees. "Is this where you want me?" Obviously not, because while baby watched, the father went higher up in a tree while the mother was flying from ground to branch., ground to branch, ground to branch, like a yoyo, clear message- UP HERE!


I didn't think the baby had the strength to do the thrust for lift off, but it did and flying diagonally got up onto a branch. Hooray!

This was much better. Above ground is safer. It flew across to another branch, same level as first branch and with both parents guiding it and calling, mother inched backwards up the tree showing youngster the way. They got this kid up into the treetop where the father fed it.
The final stop was way up in the leaves, too dense for pictures and also too dark. The parents' attentiveness, the gentle caring, was beautiful to watch.

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