You've got to take your hat off to Fred, he's doing a grand job feeding the chicks on his own.
Last night he didn't stay in the box, which on reflection was probably a good thing for him as it meant that he would get a good nights rest in the trees elsewhere. The chicks don't appear to be any worse off for it, and by 0520 this morning he was back fresh and bright with some juicy caterpillars for the young ones.
All this drama this week inevitably means we have had some casualties. After checking the nest box thoroughly today we can only see three chicks popping up each time Fred visits. It was to be expected.
Of the three who are left, one of them is looking surprisingly strong and is continually trying to get out of the nest cup. Hopefully he won't succeed just yet as the other two will help to keep him warm while they are all together.
We anticipate that Fred may have to keep this up for another week, and if there are still chicks left by next weekend they will be at the wing flapping stage, and ready to leave by about the Bank Holiday Monday. We really hope so, as it will be a great tribute to Fred's tenacity.
I've done some research on this, and losing one parent is not uncommon, and broods have been raised successfully by single parents, but at a cost obviously.
If Fred can pull this off, we will give him one of the best chippy suppers money can buy and thrown in some curry sauce too.
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| Three remaining chicks |
More later.....
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