And MORE Fledglings!! (With photos)

[amandap]

We were so excited to meet the first two fledglings yesterday morning. Last night as I was watching the birds, I realized that the baby at the bottom of the aviary wasn't one of the two that had just fledged!! Oh my goodness. Now I understand why people want to breed their birds. This is so exciting!

The newbies (there are two healthy babies in the second nest after all) are about a week younger and I think aren't REALLY ready to fledge yet, as they couldn't get back into the nest at bedtime. So we picked them up and put them back in. But they can hop around and perch a bit and despite seeming scared of everything, I think they are going to be fine.

I can't wait to see what they'll look like when they get their big bird feathers!! I tried doing a little genetics research and realized I'm terrible at this.

[debbie276]

Awww, they're adorable pictures!
Congratulations and best of luck

[lovezebs]

amandap

Wonderful looking toddlers.
It will take them a little while to find their way around and figure out what their wings are for, but they always do figure it out eventually.

It is a fun time to sit and watch them, as they start to investigate and discover their environment, try new foods and so on. Some spray millet close by, usually captures their interest, along with bits of cucumber.

Enjoy

Elana

[Sally]

Congrats! Love that last photo with them hiding in the plant. They'll figure it out soon enough. What you might want to think about is putting some plastic bands on the youngsters before they wean, so you can keep track of who's who.

[amandap]

Sally Thanks for the suggestion. I've been thinking about banding them, but am scared to try it. I've never held my birds in my hands (I catch them in a cloth or a net when I have to) and I'm scared to stress them out too much.

I was just reading the post on finchinfo.com about banding this morning. Any additional suggestions?

My two male zebras are nearly impossible for me to tell apart. I identify them by their mates right now. (Mr. Betty White and Mr. Fawn) Is it too late to band them?