Babies' First Portraits!

Two are flying - and #12, the first-hatched, LOVES to fly all over the bedroom! #14 isn't ready to fledge yet, and hatched later than the others. He runs about on the bed instead. #12 is in the center in the group photo.

First Flight!

3/28/08 - Today the oldest baby flew across the dining room like a little butterfly!

When they fledge at this age, they don't have the speed to "crash" dangerously into windows, so when he gently bumped into the window, he just fluttered to the floor, and then he lifted off again into the air!

Our babies won't be clipped (if they are clipped at all) until they are accomplished fliers. This saves them from becoming flighted for the first time later in life when they tend to take off full speed and crash hard into things while learning how to control their speed, negotiate turns, make decisions at the last moment, and so on. A baby bird who is allowed to fledge, fly a few times, and then is clipped has not learned "how to fly" and has not gained the physical skills of flight or the decisions-making skills for safe flight. It is best if a bird is allowed to fly in large spaces for a few weeks before being clipped, if he must in fact be clipped. They don't forget how to fly once they learn, and they learn better when they first fledge than they do later in life.

3-24-08 Photo Composite

Here they are at 3 weeks - remember, they hatched a few days apart. The oldest is stretching his wings, but not out of the nestbox yet. That will likely happen in another day or two. They already weigh 40-44 grams! These babies are big! (The numbers reflect their band numbers.)

Eager Eaters from Lily or Me!

Today I'm leaving them in their nestbox with mom and pop... As I peeked inside, they looked up eagerly at me, opened their beaks, and expected a meal! So I fixed them some breakfast, then took all three out, and fed them. They had already been fed by their parents, but they eagerly ate some more. Then I put them back with their parents. This is the best way for co-parenting - leave them with the parents where they learn to be birds, but have them out for socializing with humans and learning that good things come from people, too. I won't need to separate them to get them to eat from people - they are eating just fine from their parents and from me. Both parents are very tame, so they have no problem now with me taking them out. They were a bit protective when they were newly hatched, but that is a good thing! :)
Shirley Morgan's Bourke's

What a difference Five Days makes!

Bourke's Site

I took these this evening, 3/20/08... they are just at and over 2 weeks old now. They are with mom and pop overnight and throughout the morning, then after lunch I put them in the incubator in my studio, and feed them a couple times during the day, then they go back with mom and pop for the night. I don't always feed them this way, but this clutch seems to be doing well with this plan. If I need to, I can leave them all day with mom and pop. They've certainly figured out what the syringe and baby food are all about! I will feed them with a bent spoon in a day or so. I'll post a pic of that.

I added a supplies page to my site - be sure to check it out! Lots of info and photos there to help you out.

3-15-08 Babies' Update

These photos were taken today - 3-15-08. I have a friend visiting this weekend who's always enjoyed the birds, so Lily is visiting with my friend Rosie while she holds her babies.

Video of the Babies

Here's a short Flash video of the babies, taken today.

Lily's Babies

New photos!

Here are photos taken today... and it looks like the last egg is not going to hatch. I'll give it one more day just in case, but it's overdue now. I had one hatch in the past on the day I was going to give up on it - so I don't take chances.

Shirley's Bourke's
Another baby hatched this morning! Very exciting - as I wasn't sure if the last two eggs were going to hatch after losing one in the shell. Here's a photo composite, taken around 9:00 this morning. And this evening, all babies are being well-fed by mom (Lily).

I helped her out for a couple days because she wasn't feeding baby #2 very much and I was afraid it would fail to thrive, so I handfed him Thursday, Friday, and this morning, but this morning he was fed by mom, and during the day she fed all three.

Spencer & Lily's babies are hatching!

March 2nd, their first baby hatched! And today, March 6, their 2nd baby hatched!

An egg due to hatch two days ago did not complete its development and we lost it. There are two more eggs. I'll keep you posted on those. Here are the first two babies, quite different in size at this stage, but if they both thrive, they'll both be the same size once weaned in about 7 - 8 weeks.

Parents are eating Harrison's Adult Lifetime Mash and Zupreem Natural Pellets, along with fresh veggies - corn, grated carrots, peas, and grated squash, a little millet now and then, and some hard-boiled egg chopped with shell will be added once all are hatched and a few days old.
Shirley's Bourke's