We've had some cardinals in our yard... and we noticed that they kept going inside the burning bush, so we looked and found a nest. How fun..... we started watching the nest and were glad to see an egg, then another and so on.
May 7
There are now 4 eggs in the nest. The mother bird came and went from the nest.
May 16
Two of the little ones hatched.... and the mama bird stayed pretty close to the nest....
May 17
The babies have a bit more fuzz now. Three babies have hatched now although one of the babies is rather hidden in the nest.
These little guys remind me of the book my kids loved hearing when they were little. I think it was called, "Feed Me". :)
The eyes of the young birds are still closed on this day.
Still one egg in the nest that needs to hatch.
May 18
The poor mama bird was very wet at the time of this picture... we had so much rain and she faithfully sat on the nest. What a good mama. :)
These little birds don't look like much yet, but we were sure enjoying seeing them grow!
May 20
This day shows some changes... the eyes are starting to open and they are getting some feathers.
They eat a LOT. The parents are rushing to the nest to feed the little ones and then away to find more food.
May 22
They are getting a bit bigger.
Papa Cardinal keeps a close watch on those babies.... especially when we go outside. He stays very attentive.
He would perch in various places where he could watch.. and if another bird came near the nest, he would fly over to the bush to chase the intruder away from Mama Cardinal and the babies.
May 23
They are showing a lot more color now... the feathers are darkening...
May 24
They are finally looking more like birds........................
and of course, they still want to eat most of the time! 🙂
By this time we noticed that the unhatched egg was gone... we never found it down below and aren't sure what happened to it, but it wasn't in the nest any longer.... we assume it got too old and just wouldn't hatch so the parents removed it.
May 25
The mama bird stayed on that nest and it was funny to see her perched so high on it. The first picture I had of her on the nest only showed her tail feathers since the rest of her was down inside the nest.
May 26
One of the babies made it to the edge of the nest...
The next picture of this guy is so cute, but this is the best I could get... it's not as clear as I wanted it to be. I love how he is perched on there.
He(or she!) left the nest this same day.. and the second one left the next day.
What a strangely cute little face and expression!
May 27
The parent birds were kept busy tending to this baby and the other two who had left the nest. We found one of the babies in the neighbor's bush, but never saw the babies after that.
What a fun experience to watch this wonderful process of eggs hatching and little birds growing.
I really loved seeing how protective the parent birds were of the babies and how protective the papa bird was of the babies and the mama. He brought food for her and the babies at some times. Those parent birds were really busy for a few days trying to feed those little ones. I love that God put the knowledge in these birds to act as parents should act... they did what they were created to do.
What a marvelous opportunity to see God's creation and His wonderful handiwork... up close. We sure enjoyed this and learned much too. We still see the parent birds in our yard, but haven't seen the babies... and we wonder if they are looking more like the parents yet. Maybe one day we will catch a glimpse of them again... we'll keep watching....
Thank you for visiting..... I hope you are enjoying this and other evidences of spring and of God's creation where you live. :)
Other Bird posts you may enjoy:
Like Baby Birds
A Few Fowl Silhouettes
Birds and Squirrels
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Thursday Favorite Things
What a fantastic post!! Great Photos!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting as often as you do...
Hugs,
Debbie
Thank you, Debbie! It was so nice to have you visit. :)
DeleteMarvelous series! Amazing how they grow.
ReplyDeleteI was excited to notice that cardinals had nested just outside our office window, but it is very difficult to get a good view. Your shots help us to see what we've been missing. Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2017/06/my-happy-place.html
Thank you... we were very excited to have this glimpse into the growth of the baby birds... and to be so close to the process. :) Thank you for visiting.
DeleteHow wonderful to get to follow these little birds from eggs to leaving the nest. Great series of images
ReplyDeleteMollyx
Thank you.... it was a joy to go out each day to see the progress of the little ones. :)
DeleteOh that was wonderful! I love sitting outside and just watching bird antics. I have found that my backyard is quite active in the evenings around dusk. But I haven't gotten any pictures yet this year.
ReplyDelete:) gwingal
I have taken enough pictures for several people. blush.... Our yard is so active too... it seems like our birds and bunnies are most active in the morning. They are fun to watch.... and we loved seeing the nest and baby birds. :)
DeleteHow amazing to witness this and to capture through photography. Thanks so much for sharing with us at #overthemoon link party. I've pinned and shared.
ReplyDeleteSue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
It has been amazing... what a privilege to see this. Thank you for sharing and pinning.... and for visiting. :)
DeleteMarvelous photos, thank you for sharing the story. I didn't know that the babies were spotted, now I know what I have been seeing in my yard are baby cardinals.
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome... it is fun to see how very differently the babies look from the parents. :) Thank you for visiting...
DeleteOh, what a wonderful series of photos of these gorgeous little creatures! You did an awesome job chronicling their growth and thanks for sharing the images with us!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was so fun to follow along to see how much they grew from day to day... it was amazing. :)
DeleteWonderful photos! I've enjoyed watching cardinals nest in my garden too. Thanks for sharing @Vintage Charm!
ReplyDeleteThank you... it is fun to see them and to notice their behavior. A very interesting lesson for us. :)
DeleteHi Joy,
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos.
Thanks for bringing you post to last week's Pit Stop.
Janice, Pit Stop Crew
What great photos! I love cardinals :) Thanks for sharing on Homestead Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I do too... they are beautiful birds and I like having them around. :) Thank you for visiting.
DeleteWhat a time lapse and such beautiful birds. In the UK we have a TV programme each May/June called Springwatch which follows birds nesting and hatching. You have to tune in each day to see how the birds are getting along!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Your program sounds interesting... :)
DeleteLoved stumbling upon your blog, seeing beautiful pictures of adorable cardinals growing up, and finding another sister in Christ! �� <3
ReplyDeleteThank you... I am so glad you stopped by... and I am glad to meet you, my sister in Christ. :)
Delete