The cardinals chicks (hatchlings? babies?), whatever they’re called, you can also call them gone! I checked the nest a few days ago to snap what became the final pictures… I wasn’t going to check anymore because the mom and dad were starting to hover (like these robins did) and so I didn’t want to disturb them anymore. The babies were getting big and I didn’t want to be the reason they try hopping out of the nest too early, or just get abandoned by the parents.
Soooooo the update… I checked yesterday late afternoon. I did this from a distance by making a chirping noise. I’m sure my neighbors were rolling their eyes at the weirdo making bird noises in his yard. But for the first time, I didn’t hear any baby chirps in response. I thought, “There’s no way the nest is already empty!”
I grabbed my step ladder (the nest is about 7 feet up in a bush), and checked. Sure enough all except one bird were long gone. The lone bird left in the nest was dead. Not sure why. But four of the five newborns are now in the wild, big enough to make a life of their own and within a year, I’ll be seeing new bright red birds flying around my yard!
I’m already looking forward to it.
-Out of the Wilderness
So beautiful how quickly these creatures grow, sad one did not make it.