Baby birds

As the cruel unfeeling beast that I am I offered to use a garden hose to periodically frustrate the swallows nesting efforts but my mom said to leave them alone so she could watch what happens. The tops of their heads and beaks are all we could see from the ground as they are 12-15 ft up on the end of the garage.

Here is a composite of three photos showing the view from the ground and the view from the extension ladder while I was taking my life into my own hands to get these pix. The flash stimulated the babies to open their beaks in anticipaton of getting a yummy bug but they closed them when none was forth comming and I didn't get a mouth open shot. I didn't want to stay up there and mess with them too much as it could distress them and our their parents. They seemed to be sleeping and didn't open their eyes just their mouths.

Although still quite downy they are begining to show some signs of colored feathers.

Pat

Picture? What picture?

Oh, that picture!

The babies are flying now. Four out of five are doing good. They all spent a lot of the day sitting on the sidewalk under the nest. Now only one remains behind. Nothing to be done for it. We put water out for the 5 but don't know if they used it. Oh well, it will make it or not, I don't know how to help anymore so I will avoid doing anything that could do harm.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

...and here is "Tail End Charley"...