Home Sweet Home
You never know what is making a home in the different parts of your yard. This innocuous hedge held a wonderful surprise.

While doing a house sit in a suburb of Adelaide we have been treated to a wonderful experience. Before departing, the home owners told us of blackbirds nesting in the hedge in their backyard and that there were some eggs in it. If you follow my Instagram feed you will have seen most of these photos before, however I thought some might find it interesting to see the story laid out in one place.

Blackbird Eggs - November 19
This is what we saw on the first day of our house sit. It was challenging to get the photos without disturbing the parent birds or the babies as they grew. This was taken on November 19.
Blackbird Eggs - November 23
First thing in the morning on November 23 I saw Momma bird fly off so I went outside to check on the eggs. Amazing to see!
Blackbird Eggs - November 28
Watching the feathers develop and the eyes start to open was incredible. November 28
Blackbird Eggs - November 29
Feeding time. The male blackbird operated nearly constantly during the day shuttling food back and forth. Sitting and waiting in the shadows to be able to get a peak at feeding time was well worth it. November 29
Blackbird Eggs - December 2
Even though only 3 of the 4 eggs hatched, the three remaining seemed to be developing well. December 2
Blackbird Eggs - December 2
As the babies became more aware of their surroundings it became very difficult to get photos without disturbing them. I had to be satisfied with quick snaps as I was walking by. December 2
Blackbird Babies - December 5
The nest was getting very crowded by now. There was a definite hierarchy as far as health went. The baby on the left was by far the most developed and healthiest looking. This was the last day we saw the birds.

I was sitting in the shadows watching the nest and saw the babies getting out and hopping around on the branches around the nest. Just as I went inside I heard a yell that one of the dogs had a bird. I ran outside and was able to get the dog to drop the apparently unharmed bird. We hustled the dogs inside and gave the blackbirds a chance to get out of harms way. By the time we went out again the nest was empty and the birds were all gone. It was a great opportunity to watch nature in action.

Welcome to our travel blog. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to say, "I'm out of here?" Well we did, and in 2013 we made it a reality. We sold or gave away all of our possessions other than what fit in our luggage and we set off on an endless adventure. Part of our goal is to share our experiences with others and hopefully provide some information, motivation, or just a moments escape. The general idea was to look for a place that would be ideal to settle down in. However in the meantime it is about experiencing life in different countries amongst different cultures and learning how to understand and appreciate each other. A large part of our time is spent housesitting which provides an excellent opportunity to experience more of the "normal" neighbourhoods as opposed to the tourist locales. Though we make sure to enjoy those as well. So through plenty of photographs and a running commentary come and share with us our life on the road.

1 comment on “Blackbird Babies

  1. Dorothy Pecksen

    An interesting group of pictures, it reminded me of my bluebird monitoring. Nature is amazing!

    Safe travels, love,Mom

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