i WATCHED it hatch!!!!!!!

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by pagarden on May 17, 2006 04:47 PM

i am so so excited today! so i check in on my finches every day just to make sure there are still 6 eggs and none have been taken and to see if they hatched. so this afternoon my son and i went to check in on them after momma flew away for a minute. i get the mirror and yup there are 6 eggs. but WAIT----- one had a small crack in it! so my son got up on the chair so he could see the mirror better and we sat for a good 5 minutes watching this little hairline crack turn into a full blown opening! HOLY MOLY! little bird was pushing and pushing away trying to get out! we saw a little pink featherless wing poking out too! i was on cloud 9! then we saw momma fly back next to the house so we went inside and watched her from the window. it looks like she helps them out? do birds do that? and when we went out later before nighfall the little guy was 100% out but there was no egg shells anywhere. not on the ground or anything. do the mommas eat the shell or something for nutrients????? this was so the highlght of my day! i've never actually watched an egg hatch before! how cool was that??? this was a pic in progress- check out the little wing poking out.....

by Thornius on May 17, 2006 06:08 PM

YOU ARE SO LUCKY! I see them before or after they hatch but never during. The mother carries the eggshells away and drops them far from the nest to prevent predators from easily locating the nest. Baby birds' fecal material comes out enclosed a membrane, much like a plastic bag, which the parents also carry away and drop far from the nest for the same reason. Be sure to take daily pictures of the nest until the babies fledge and leave the nest. That way you can have a video diary of the development of the baby birds.

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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

by melcon6 on May 17, 2006 11:40 PM

OMG, Pagarden,you and your son are so lucky! That is amazing!!!!!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINDY!!!!!!!

by pagarden on May 18, 2006 01:32 AM

checked this morning and another was hatched! YAY! and saw dad checking in on them too....

by loz on May 18, 2006 04:40 AM

That is amazing! [clappy]

by rubberbandman on May 18, 2006 05:33 AM

Your so lucky. I have a robins nest in my yard but I'll have to get the latter out.

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people tell me I have the body of a god... too bad its buddah.

by slredmond on May 19, 2006 12:49 AM

Thank is SO cool! How lucky for your son to see, too. It's so awesome to teach a kid to appreciate and care for nature. Where is this nest at?

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Sandy R.

by Tonya on May 19, 2006 01:20 AM

That had to be an awesome sight...I grew up on a "farm" in Tn and never got to actually watch a hatching- you are SO lucky!! Keep the pics coming if possible. [clappy]

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Bote and Babe's World

by Wrennie on May 19, 2006 02:14 AM

Cool!
You need a nestbox cam. They're teeny and you can watch all day without interrupting the birds. I actually watched some blue tits on their nest through a friends nest cam in England.

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Summer Camp '07, July 14th weekend, won't you join us?

summer camp thread 1, 2, 3,4

by Thornius on May 19, 2006 04:10 AM

Blue Tits are cool. They're are like Chickadees on LSD.

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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

by pagarden on May 19, 2006 05:25 AM

yea, maybe one day i can get a cam. LOL it is out on our front porch. she knows the routine now too. as long as we come in and out the door and down the stairs she stays. she knows when it's out of the ordinary- like we walk past the stairs she pops up and watches us to make sure we don't get too close. once she actually let me walk under her withough flying away to get something and then i hurried away. but i think they know after a while we aren't goint to harm them right?

by Thornius on May 19, 2006 05:39 AM

Here is the British bird webcam site I use to get live pictures of British birds. It is best viewed here in The U.S. late at night (12:00 Midnight Central Time and after) until about 1:00 PM Central Time. They get a lot of really cool British bird as well as the endangered English Red Squirrel. Give it a look, Eh?

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Feeder Cams

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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

by Wrennie on May 19, 2006 06:40 AM

pagarden they will get used to your routines. Since youre there a lot and havent 'hurt' them yet they probably dont see you as a threat.
We have barn swallows over the door of the business next to mine. (maybe 10' between the doors)They dont seem to care we're here.

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Summer Camp '07, July 14th weekend, won't you join us?

summer camp thread 1, 2, 3,4

by princessazlea on May 20, 2006 01:00 AM

Wow, what a experience. Thanks for sharing the picture with us.

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