The animal lover in me thinks those are absolutely adorable, and looks forward to further updates! The adventure gamer in me weighs the potential consequences of using that winding handle.
In case I misrepresented myself, I would like to state for the record I wasn't advocating knocking off the poor birds. The winder just.. happened to be prominent in the picture and the consequence made itself obvious. I just wanted to phrase it in a more amusing way than "Don't touch that handle!"
Still, it seems like something that would be a solution to a remarkably obscure, adventure-gamey puzzle.
Be careful, or they'll ally themselves with bats and collectively lower the mosquito population around your house~
As for the chicksplosion, there's a clear time lapse in this period. They're quite large and have quite a lot of down growing. It's possible that either 1) this nest has been parasitised (cowbirds, etc) or more likely, the hen just laid some others when you weren't looking and she laid a few eggs the next day and you never noticed because bird parenting is a 24/7 nest cover.
The photos were definitely taken far apart - at least a week between noticing the first egg and looking to see the feather-soup chicks, I think. We actually had a nest like this last year in which four eggs were laid, but... they didn't make it (they disappeared, possibly eaten by a bluejay?)
Well, I just googled to be sure, and a source says 12-14 days for incubation, and leaving the nest at 14-16 days. I must have been thinking of chickens, which only hatch at 24 days.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 01:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 01:59 am (UTC)The adventure gamer in me weighs the potential consequences of using that winding handle.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 02:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 03:05 am (UTC)In case I misrepresented myself, I would like to state for the record I wasn't advocating knocking off the poor birds. The winder just.. happened to be prominent in the picture and the consequence made itself obvious. I just wanted to phrase it in a more amusing way than "Don't touch that handle!"
Still, it seems like something that would be a solution to a remarkably obscure, adventure-gamey puzzle.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 01:26 pm (UTC)Part One: Regurgitating worms.
Part Two: Teaching to Fly, AKA Lemming Birds
Part Three: Oh god where did all this poo come from!
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Date: 2013-06-01 04:16 am (UTC)Have you named them? :)
D.F.
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Date: 2013-06-01 10:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 04:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 11:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 11:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 01:22 pm (UTC)Or else someone lit a hidden fuse and BOOM! Chick explosion!
The images do present an amusing, speculation-fueled narrative when taken as a sequence!
no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 04:23 pm (UTC)Be careful, or they'll ally themselves with bats and collectively lower the mosquito population around your house~
As for the chicksplosion, there's a clear time lapse in this period. They're quite large and have quite a lot of down growing. It's possible that either 1) this nest has been parasitised (cowbirds, etc) or more likely, the hen just laid some others when you weren't looking and she laid a few eggs the next day and you never noticed because bird parenting is a 24/7 nest cover.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 08:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 08:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-01 10:12 pm (UTC)