Fledgling


ursulav
Fledgling
April 22nd, 2016: So I was pulling weeds and flinging handfuls into the uncultivated chunk of garden under the trees, and I winged in a handful of chickweed and looked up just in time to see it land on top of this guy. (He is a Carolina Chickadee.)

I ran in and immediately excavated him. He was fine, but as he is a fledgling, still not a very good flier and couldn’t get out of the way. He sat and looked angrily at me while I took his photo. When I returned, he had scuttled off into the undergrowth.

(If you find a bird like this, eyes open and fully feathered, that is not injured, or not in immediate danger of being mauled by a cat or something, leave it alone. This is a normal stage of bird development and the parents are still feeding it while it wanders around and tests its wings. They know where it is.)

17 comments — :

( 17 comments — Leave a comment )

kaph

2016-04-22 07:05 pm (UTC)

What a grumptious, adorable little guy!

martianmooncrab

2016-04-22 07:12 pm (UTC)

He sat and looked angrily at me

*teenagers*

replyhazy

2016-04-22 07:21 pm (UTC)

Goodness, that bird is miffed.

weaselmom

2016-04-22 08:19 pm (UTC)

Oh lord, everybody else stop reading here, but I know you'll understand this. The crow parents on one side of my street have started raiding nests on the *other* side of the street to feed small nestling...parts...to their own young. They left one of these snacks on my deck railing next to the birdbath (which is better than *in* the birdbath as they've done before). I think the snack was a starling, so there is some upside, but still it's like living in a really low-budget horror movie. Last night I was out there yelling up their tree to stop being such monsters. All this is earning me no love from the neighbors, needless to say.

Your grumpy baby dinosaur is adorable, though.

dragonsong

2016-04-22 10:00 pm (UTC)

Tis the season where you can hear the distinctive call of the nature center worker...

"Leave it alone! It's fine! It's normal!"

And quietly muttered,

"So help me, if that idiot doesn't put the damn bunny back where they found it..."

playswithworms

2016-04-22 11:33 pm (UTC)

As a nature center worker I can confirm this is absolutely true! Although today I had a nice man who did indeed put the baby bunnies back in the nest, with some yarn crossed over the top to confirm if mom comes back to feed them tonight.

rustydragonfly

2016-04-23 05:25 pm (UTC)

Been there, have the mental scars to prove it. I will still twitch uncontrollably at the words "baby bird"...

asher63

2016-04-22 10:01 pm (UTC)

So cute!

jaxomsride

2016-04-22 11:09 pm (UTC)

Why do I feel an inclination for a bad W C Fields impersonation?

We have to move them up high - we have cats who don't need any encouragement to bring home little "gifts". They don't understand why their efforts at filling the larder is so not appreciated.

playswithworms

2016-04-22 11:34 pm (UTC)

I've got a nest of chickadees in my bluebird box this year - still egg stage up where I am though, looking forward to wee little chicklets soon.

icedrake

2016-04-22 11:36 pm (UTC)

IRL angry bird!

movingfinger

2016-04-23 12:28 am (UTC)

"Jeez, lady! What was that about?"

diatryma

2016-04-23 12:33 am (UTC)

Fledgie starlings are the best starlings because it's when they harass adult starlings. But this chickadee is better.

Thank you

draggonlaady

2016-04-23 03:59 am (UTC)

Thank you for pointing out that it's normal! I see so many "orphan" babies that are really kidnapped every spring...

ysabet

2016-04-23 07:40 am (UTC)

Back where I grew up (NW Florida), there are Southern Bluejays everywhere; and when the fledglings become fully flighted, they get kicked out of the nest as per usual with most birds. The thing about Bluejays, though, is that they're reluctant to leave; so they hang around for a few days making the most miserable noise imaginable. It's this weird, kind-of-nasalish whimper that just DRIPS with teenaged angst. And they flutter around their old home, and Mom and Dad drive them off with all sorts of squawks and flapping. World's most emo teenaged birds, I swear.