In Part One, I introduced Able and Echo, a pair of barn swallows who graced my front porch in 2015. I've already covered the seven days they spent revamping the nest, which I have dubbed the "Waldorf."
Then, I showed y'all the six days she spent laying the eggs. Followed by the sixteen days where either Echo or Able sat on the eggs. Mostly Echo. The females lose a LOT of weight while laying and incubating. Here, mommy and daddy are just standin' by.
Now, we're up to the 4th of May. The first egg hatched on the 18th of April. Took awhile. They moved in on the 8th of April.
We'll pick up the story with that last egg. I compressed that span. This little montage covers the six days it took for all of 'em to be laid, then the last one is actually 16 days later, when the first hatchling makes an entrance. Here we go!
I missed a day. Next time I checked, on the sixth, there were THREE hatched! Right now, they can barely raise their heads, their eyes are still closed, and they are covered in fuzz. That'll soon change.
I was surprised the next day. All five were now hatched. And about as nekkid as you can get! They can move a little, but make no noise, yet.
Just one day later, you can see the growth already. The darkening on the wings will become feathers before you know it.
Day 4, May 11th. You can see a tail beginning to take shape on the one facing the rear. Yeah, that's a blue and gold macaw feather in the nest. Mom snagged it off the porch after we brought the boys out for some air. Momma/daddy do NOT like that! They won't come to the nest, but they fly back and forth in front of the porch, hollering at us quite loudly.
Still day 4. This little guy was the first one I heard go "cheep." He was passed over on the last fly-by, I guess. I watched, and the next trip in, he got the food.
It's now day 6, 13 May. When I go up the ladder, they're OK. But, when I click the shutter on the camera, they seem to think that means "food." Before the shutter opened, they all twitched a bit. Hence, the bad focus.
A bit later on day 6. I figure they're ticked at me because I didn't have any food for 'em earlier. Eyes are open some, but not yet fully.
This was a common sight. Here, Echo is waiting for Able to come back with some chow. They very seldom both leave at the same time. Almost always one on the nest or on the porch swing just a few feet away. VERY attentive parents.
One week old! The 14th of May. Just look at how the wing feathers are sprouting. Every one of those tiny shafts has a feather growing inside.
On day 8, they've suddenly bushed out with their head and body feathers. Amazing what one day will do in the development of these darlin' little critters.
Day 9, 16 May, and they're gettin' a bit pushy. Crowdin' around for food when Able or Echo comes in. They come in quick, too! Maybe a second or two to actually transfer whatever they've brought, and they're off again. The feathers on the chest and neck are really comin' in fast now.
Late on day 9. They've had a busy day, and it's almost time to settle in for the night.
We're ten days from the last hatching now. You can see the wings are forming really fast, the shafts on some of the feathers have already been shed. A lot more are just coming in.
Day 11, 18th of May. They do this a lot now. They're eyes are wide open, they're talking more, and they've gotten a bit curious about their surroundings. They can now follow me as I move around the porch.
Seems I missed a big day. This is day 13, the 20th, and the difference is pretty dramatic! They're rapidly losing their fuzz and their feathers are really beginning to cover their entire bodies.
Able takin' a short break to catch some sun. He and Echo like to hang out on the triple shepherd's hook we have just off the front porch. It holds the hummingbird feeders and seed for the sparrows, finches, cardinals, and the Spanish doves that inhabit our space. We get a LOT of bird visitors. Guess word gets around.
Echo's been busy, and she's hot. Takin' a break on the swing, but she's still got her eye on the nest above her.
Echo seems to be sayin,' "Well, time to get back to it." Able stayed while she was gone.
We've now made it to TWO weeks! The fuzz is almost all gone, the feathers are lookin' good, and we've got five healthy little barn swallows well on their way.
Even though it's only the 21st of May, 2015, it's a hot day and the crew is just layin' low, tryin' to stay cool. They'll jump up quick when mom and dad come by.
Now we're gettin' the idea! Today, still the 21st, is the first time I've seen one of the babies tryin' his wings out. There's still some shaft left on the secondary feathers under the wing, but the primaries are lookin' GOOD!
Still the 21st of May, and hungry birds are howlin' to be fed. They're quiet like mice until they sense Able or Echo nearby. Then, it seems they telepathically all start yellin' at once.
Mom showed up right soon after the shot above, and I was lucky to catch her actually feeding a chick. They are quick to come and go. How they know who they've fed and who they haven't...I don't know. But they all seem to get their fair share. No runts in this litter.
And, finally, the lesson for today, STILL the 21st of May, is how to poop OUTSIDE the nest. He's got a spotter and his vent feathers are all turned out. After he poops, the tiny feathers cover the vent. I'm sure it's for modesty's sake.
Next up is the final chapter. We'll only be covering five more days, 22nd through the 27th of May, but we'll see our babies really fill out, take that first leap of faith, and they'll be hangin' out in the front yard before they go their separate ways.
Hope y'all will come back for the last bit. Votes and comments are certainly welcome.
Once writ, hit send.....Web Rydr