Out back

Very peaceful in backyard. Robin parents feeding their nestlings.

Whoa... different behavior. Parent with mouthful of worms is calling babies. This is get-out-of-nest behavior, but the nestlings are not yet fledge-ready.

Two babies in nest?  Where's the third???

Oh, NO!!!  This kid is nowhere near fledge ready. How did it get out of the nest? Solo bobble? Helped by parent?  This is a disaster waiting to happen. It's going to get trod on.

Time to intervene before it becomes squashed baby.  I carry cotton gloves at all times. Gently lifted baby onto cement wall surrounding planter with nest tree.  It could either fly up from there or bobble down into wood chips.

It sat for a while,

then got up, delivered a fecal sac and ran around the wall before bobbling into the wood chips.

Parent watched from above, knew exactly where kid was.

In the chips.  Much better cover. Good for liftoff if it decided to fly, but this is not a flight-ready baby.

Meanwhile, the two nestlings are eating and "delivering"

Papa ate the fecal sac this time around. Not disgusting. This has nutritional value.

I headed to the park, but my heart was in the backyard. It's very tempting to babysit baby birds.

Back here.  Dove nest on lamp fixture a real puzzle.  There should be at least one nestling up there.

Back yard dove may also have a nestling.  An egg shell was found by Colby, evidence of something.

Meanwhile, two robin nestlings and no premature-fledge baby.

Have looked and listened. Not a peep. The baby has vanished.  This nest began with four babies. One was found dead on the ground early on, no feathers, obviously removed from nest by parents.  Four kids are too many?  Premie has vanished. Why? Where? Was this baby also defective? Did parents force this? Did parents think that raising two kids was better than three?  Young fledglings call for food. Silence. Or did a kestral show up and snatch this baby? Anything is possible.

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