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Blackbird Babies

November 29

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.

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.
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!
Watching the feathers develop and the eyes start to open was incredible. November 28
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
Even though only 3 of the 4 eggs hatched, the three remaining seemed to be developing well. 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
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.

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