The last month has been a bumper one for fledglings. Almost all the eggs of garden birds have hatched, and the young have started to be out and about. This is of course a very perilous time with many predators lying in wait. However, the vulnerable youngsters do at least have parents that will do what they can to protect and feed them, at least for a while.
Their nests are now abandoned, and most of our garden birds never return, spending their first night out in the open. Within two weeks most of the young will be fully independent. We have been lucky to see much of this activity in our garden. Robins, sparrows, and blackbirds have all been feeding their chicks in easy view. One female blackbird has fed her offspring with a steady diet of tadpoles from our pond! Cutest of all have been the tiny wrens charging around the flower beds.
As I write, many of the adults will already be thinking about attempting a second brood. We were surprised to see a male wren checking out two of our empty nest boxes and then starting to build a nest in one of them. It turns out that wrens often try for a second brood, but with a different partner. That accounts for this male singing its heart out for the last week in the hope of attracting a female. It has gone quiet now, so fingers crossed.
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