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Sun 2 May, 2004 05:54 pm
While trimming a tall bush, I found a bird's nest full of tiny babies. I tied a couple of the branches that I had cut back to the tree to give the nest more support and protection, but I'm worried about it. I've seen one of the parents checking me out when I've checked on the nest throughout the day, so does that mean the babies will still be taken care of? I wonder if I should do anything else or just leave it alone.
If you haven't touched the babies the mother should continue to feed them.
Thank you. I could not remember if I had to touch them or not for the mother to abandon them. That is a relief.
I think that thing about touching the babies is a myth. Have you watched the parent birds to see if they're flying to the nest?
Leave them alone--and stop feeling terribly guilty.
littlek, you touch 'em you own 'em...lol
If the mother is still flying back and forth feeding the babies then everything is okay.
panzade wrote:littlek, you touch 'em you own 'em...lol
That is a good one!
I watched the nest for a while and the mother went back to feed them. Thank goodness. Hopefully the "prop-job" I did with the side of the nest will hold up. I can tell that this will become my obsession until these things are big enough to fly.
Isn't it fun to watch nature at work?..I used to breed Angel fish and got the same kick out of it.
It is indeed amazing, Panzade. A question: Do fish have nests or do the babies swim from birth?
Oh, good!!
I've been actually actively restraining myself from looking for bird's nests this year as I seem to be some kind of curse. Maybe some people here remember my distress at the disappearance of... were they robin's eggs? What I remember is that a snake was suggested as the likely culprit. :-( My neighbors had ducks lay eggs in their yard, they were fine for a long time, then I asked to see them... oops, a raccoon or something had got them. :-( So I'm just not looking for any since it's too distressing when it doesn't work out AND I want to do what I can about neutralizing the curse.
Some mother fish make nests of bubbles, like the Betta. Some pick up the eggs in their mouths where the babies hatch like the Cichlid mouth-breeders. The mother Angelfish glues the eggs to a flat rock where the daddy fertilizes them. Then she chases him away so he won't eat them...lol
Sorry about your horrible curse, Sozobe. Perhaps you can live vicariously through me and my new children.
Knock on wood.
bella - the mama/papa bird will make any neccessary repairs to the nest. Don't you worry.
I'll live vicariously, thanks for the opportunity! However if anything happens to those little babies I'm going to have to visit the exorcist or something.
Knock on wood.
Very good sign that the mama is feeding them.
That is amazing about the fish. The mouth breeders sound a bit strange, but amazing none-the-less!
Thank you for the words of comfort, littlek! That is good to know. Another amazing feat of nature to watch for.
Sozobe, perhaps there is some sort of reverse-bird-curse hex available? I will look for one for you!
Please do! I'll reward you handsomely if you find it! :-)
Almost all birds have a very poor sense of smell, so touching the eggs or picking up the young that fall on the ground is okay. Whenever I find a young bird on the ground, I put it back in a tree so the mother can feed it and the cats won't get it.
I once saw a nest at water's edge on a small tree. I pulled on a branch and bent the tree to see the eggs. I saw the eggs, but the branch slipped out of my hand, and the eggs catapulted out into the water. Talk about guilt!
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