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.
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branchandroot
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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)