I am out straight at this point conducting research so I haven't been able to post as often as I would like, but I will keep tabs on this nest and look for your great reports.
Wing Goodale
BioDiversity Research Institute
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Finch's Preparing Nest for Second Clutch
I am just out of the field and back for a couple of moments and was excited to see that the finches are reworking the nest for another round. This is exciting and we will be able to watch the nest building, egg laying, and then hopefully another group of chicks being raised.
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80 comments:
I didn't realize what she was doing. I really thought she was either trying to get a break or look for insects that might be some food for the "kids"
Guess they found the "perfect homesite"
6/4 6:50am
From about 6:50 til around 7am she was very busy bringing in nesting material and checking the nest bowl
out by nestling down into it. I wonder if her man was singing her a rousing tune as she wove the nest together?
J in S.P.ME
cam will be offline for a couple hours today
Wing -- I am not able to get the video on finch cam. There is no "watch live" button. Do you know what is wrong?
It's 6:33 and I see an egg. Is this the first or are there more?
6/5 6:45am
She's been on the nest for awhile this morning...perhaps she's laying her next clutch. Wow, my 2 daughters are 20 months apart and I thought that made me a busy girl!! Go momma!
J in S.P.ME
6/5/08 @ 7:18 AM
Ohhh...a little egg! My aren't these parents hard workers!!
Sandy in Pinellas Park, FL
6/5 7:20
Mom just left and exposed a pretty blue egg in her nest!!
J in S.P.ME
Wow, a new egg has been laid. amazeing, that the first batch of chicks, just left a few days ago.. Thanks for letting us see this interesting , view of nature.
One egg in the nest this morning 8:00am 6/5/08. How cool is that.
June 5 8:32 a.m.
Wow, there is a beautiful little blue egg in nest!
Karen in Denmark
there is no "watch live" yet. Here is a repeat of a post from Wing last month which helps if the 15 sec refresh isn't working for you either.
"For those of you whose image isn't refreshing please try go directly to the image link.
www.briloon.org/immer/finch.jpg
You will have to manually refresh, but at least you can see the latest image. I am trying to figure out why it is a problem on certain computers."
There is one little blue egg this morning! (Thurs 6/5 8:30am, Bar Harbor)
6/5 10:10 a.m.
A new egg in the nest! Wow the first generation left home just in time.
SEP in Scarborough ME
6-4-08 10:10 am EDT
One egg in the nest.
Judym, I don't think there IS a live cam....
cj in maine
If I dated that post 6-4-08, I did so in error. Today is Thursday 6-5....geesh, I hate when I don't even know what day of the week it is....
cj in Maine
6/5 11am
She's spent a fair amount of time this morning off the nest, perhaps an hour and a quarter, then back to sit for 10 min or so. Since about 10:25 she's been on the nest tho and twice I've caught a still of her straining her neck way out as tho laying an egg maybe. The next still 12 seconds later showed her up & looking into the nest bowl, next 12 seconds...she's back down. It's 11 and she doesn't seem like she's going to get up & give away any secrets & I've gotta get to work or BRI will have no donation $$ from me.
J in S.P.ME
11:05....Or maybe it was just gas... LOL - Of course she's out of the nest as soon as I finish my entry and there's only one lonely egg still.
J
June 5, 2008
The mother finch was on the nest this morning at about 8 am when I checked in. I checked a couple hours later and there was 1 egg in the nest and mom was gone. It is now 1 pm and I just checked again and mom is back on the nest. I just love these little birds. It is really heartwarming to watch them. Thanks for sharing.
A from downeast.
6-6-08
I missed the first one, just caught the oast part, now I can injoy the whole thing.love this...nete
6/6 8:25am
She was looking very sleepy this early morning with her beak tucked into her wing, but finally she's left the nest and exposed her second egg!
J in S.P.ME
Two eggs in nest, 8:28 a.m.!
Karen in Denmark
Been watching loon in Minn. since around 6 a.m. One hatched yesterday, noticed hole in shell of other egg when loon went off nest on alert.
Karen in Denmark
6/6 9:30 AM EDT
Two eggs in the nest at this point.
Bill in Conn.
And then there we three. What lovely little birds. So enjoy watching them.
So glad the camera is back, sure missed it the last three days. Wonder if there is still three eggs, she is up and down but not off the nest, could only see two.
Karen in Denmark
June 10 4:10 p.m.
Wed 6/11 9am
this morning there are 4 little eggs.
Bar Harbor
Four Eggs!! Will there be a fifth? Hope you don't run out of propane any time soon, Wing!
Great to see!
Ward
And then there were 4!!! 2:18 p.m. June 11, she finally flew off the nest and there are now 4 eggs.
Karen in Denmark
6/16
Has anyone noticed that this mom has a big dark spot on her beak and the last one didn't? I looked back at the photos that were put on the blog & her beak is nice & clean. Do we want to speculate about this being a different female or the same one with a dirty face?
J in S.P.ME
I just looked in at 6:30PM and noticed...Is that a small crack on one of the eggs?
6/17 5:30am
Doing a little reading last night & found that finches incubate eggs for 10 - 16 days....I belive we're at day 14....keep watching....
Was wondering if the spot on the beak thing might be an age indicator - does it turn darker with age? Will she lose that buff on her primary feather edge as she ages? It's beautiful right now - brown - what a color!
J in S.P.ME
Sorry, the 5th was the first egg not the 3rd so it's 12 days - I was too impatient! But still...any day now.
Mom looks wet and tired now that there's enough light to see...I see some blue sky where I live tho.
J
I too am getting anxious and checked incubation time and how long it has been since the first egg was laid. Just watched her roll eggs into different positions, only could see three of them-amazing.
Karen in Denmark
June 17 9:57 a.m.
June 18 2:54 P.M.
Momma finch sure has been antsy all day, up and down, moving eggs. I swear one looks different, now can see white spot. She was just fussing a lot with that one. Can it be hatching???
Karen in Denmark
June 19 10:40 a.m.
Just saw 4 eggs, no hatching yesterday.
Karen in Denmark
6/19
Well today I notice that her beak is clean once again....wonder what it was? Still 4 eggs as of 2pm.
All, I checked the cam Friday @ 12 noon and it is black and time says 3:06:08...anyone else have this problem..I tried to refresh and reload, but no luck.....Kathy in Fl
6/20/08 at 5:22 PM
It appears that there might be a hatchling in the nest.
Sandy in Pinellas Park
Looks like we have BABIES!!!!
6/20 6pm
Didn't you just know one of those eggs would hatch in the dark of the cam! When I checked in this evening after no cam most of the day, my still that came up was a little fluff ball and 3 blue eggs!
Would love a close up of what's under all that fluff.
J in S.P.ME
June 21 7:42 a.m.
I see fluff and one egg, think we have babies! Camera down all day yesterday.
Karen in Denmark
i think an egg has hatched..
6/21 10:30am
there is still at least one egg in there but there is also some tiny fuzzy creature. So at least one (I think more, actually) has hatched in the last day or so.
too bad the camera was down yesterday.
Bar Harbor
We have hatching, definitely one, maybe two. And also dad paid a visit to the nest! Way to go, finches!!
Ward
11:00 a.m.
06-21-08
I saw that one baby has hatched...Yea! She is a busy Momma
June 21 6:11
When I checked in after getting home about an hour or so ago momma was off nest. Could see two eggs, one looked like it had eye tooth sticking out. Lots of fluff and orangy stuff, blurry with constant moving I guess. Noticed momma back now.
Karen in Denmark
6/22 6:20am
Three babies now with one egg left to hatch. Only 4 total this time, I wonder if succeeding clutches tend to be smaller. Could she three-peat?
J in S.P.ME
Oh No no only 2 babies still...my eyes deceived me earlier.
J
June 22
Still two eggs!! Don't know what I saw now.
Karen in Denmark
It's Monday morning at 7:45am. Mom is feeding one baby bird and I can see two eggs.
June 23 8:50 a.m.
Wow, can actually see beak, beaks with feeding instead of just fuzz! Still two eggs left to go.
Karen in Denmark
6/23 10:25am
Michelle: I thought I saw one baby late yesterday afternoon but it's hard to tell what's what with all the fluff. I remember thinking that there wasn't as much fluff as there had been earlier. Tough stuff, survival of the fittest.
J in S.P.ME
I have a question. A couple weeks ago, my mom was on a walk and she saw a baby bird that had fallen from the nest so she tried to put it back in the nest but it kept running away. If she touched it, would the mother bird abandon her chick as they do with eggs?
I feel so bad everytime I check in because the camera has been frozen since yesterday morning and the last shot makes the poor chick look like its just lying there with no aid from its mother. I realize the mother has probably been tending the nest but seeing the picture for so long just makes me sad.
6/25
Been checking the website once a day and I see no change in the screen. Hopefully the babies are all alright and the camera is just down. All my "trash" sparrows have had a second brood. Do they have a third? If so, I may take the houses down cuz I'm over-run with them.
cathy h in mass
The camera is back! Been checking in on and off ever since it went down. Been watching for about 30 mins. and finally she got up. All I could see in the dark nest was one baby and one egg.
Karen in Denmark
June 26 8 p.m.
6/26 8:pm
So glad to have you back! Just about crazy waiting to see if those 2 eggs hatched & am a bit dis-heartened to see they haven't! Don't you think they should be hatching like real soon. Last clutch had all eggs hatching within 2 days of each other but these 2 eggs seems to be lagging behind.
Also it does seem like there's only one baby, but I couldn't be totally sure.
J in S.P.ME
Came on a little after 6 a.m. can see two eggs and hatchling, can actually make out leg now.
Karen in Denmark
June 27
Mom and dad at nest 6:15 a.m.
Karen in Denmark
June 27
Started watching a little after 1 p.m. and was the first time I could make out a head, eye, and beak. I can't imagine the other two eggs hatching now with the size of the baby. Wish I could see a second little head peek out but does look like there is only one.
Karen in Denmark
6/27 2:20pm
So Wing, if we assume that these 2 eggs don't hatch - what happens in nature? Will the adults just leave them, do they somehow get rid of them? Does the baby get bigger and step on them?
I remember seeing the video of your appearance on MaineWatch and hearing you say that it costs $1000to test one egg! Of course when I see these eggs which may not be viable I think of you being able to test them - why not? they're right on your front doorstep for heavens sake! It's times like this I wish I had tons of cashola at my disposal.....I'd hand it over to you! We bloggers need to come up with some kind of Thousand Dollar Club to be able to test an egg...or two!! You could test an egg from Club money and send the contributers a certificate-type thing telling what was found in the egg in the way of contaminents. What horrible info to receive - YES!! that's the deal...it IS horrible and it will only make you want to send more $$ so the reports will get better.
I'd better get back to work before I go off the deep end but maybe it could work...I'll send in $100.
J in S.P.ME
6/28 12:30
Is it me or does it seem like the remaining eggs are turning yellowish? They don't appear as bright as when they were first laid.
J in S.P.ME
Wow how the baby has grown! Momma looks like she is still trying to brood two eggs. Sits in nest while taking care of hatchling. Flew off, dad came in with food. Came on at 8:45 a.m. June 30
Karen in Denmark
7/1 9:15am
Tuned in at 9:06 this morning to see the cutest ever still of mom and baby w/ heads side by side. Love the babys halo of feathers!
J in S.P.ME
7/2/08 10:30am Eastern time
Thanks Wing for setting up this cam, I saw some great pictures this morning from like 10-10:30 am.
It's truly amazing! I'm still watching every chance I get!
My yard has been bursting with babies! Wrens, Chickadees, Sparrows(one pair on round three!)Grackles, Blue-jays(two families at least), Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers, Titmouse and the Starlings. They all come here to eat! Squirrel's too!
Thanks again,
Sue in MD
7/2 3:25pm
Well it appears being an only child has its rewards! Has anyone else noticed this babies crop after it's fed! It's huge! Bulging! No wonder it's flopping down into the nest after eating, it can probably barely hold its head up!
I never saw this with the last group of nestlings but I saw it yesterday for the first time and wasn't sure what it was, but after following the baby today for awhile I definately saw it before feeding (not noticable) and after feeding (ginormous). What a difference!! Thanks Wing. Enjoy the holiday (don't eat too much!)
J in S.P.ME
I have to ask, since there was such a big time lapse between the eggs being laid, will the two chicks in the remaining eggs (if they hatch), be able to survive the older clutch mates and their demand for food. Does anyone remember how the parents handled that issue with the first clutch?
These chicks will be so much bigger than the ones to come.
7/4 11:45am
Watched this morning while mom fed the babe, after a minute she was done and sitting next to it but it still had its mouth w i d e open, suddenly dad was there doing his share of feeding. Now his little mouth is closed, satisfied.
I know this sound crazy, but could this little guy get overfed? Is there 'obesity' in the avian world where man has no hand in feeding or tending? I imagined him having difficulty fledging as he tries to lift his massive few ounces of weight out of the nest! ;)
Ewww, those 2 eggs are starting to bother me...pretty gross looking.
J in S.P.ME
There are advantages to being an only child--a roomy nest, knowing that the incoming food delivery is coming to your little open beak--and the viewers having a clear view of the beauty of this little finch. Thank you for letting us view this nest! I've watched several times today and am facinated with this little beauty.
Doesn't seem like the other eggs will hatch, does it?? I still wonder what happened to the third egg..Does anyone know? I do enjoy watching this only child, though.
Kathy in FL.
7/7 7:45am
Doesn't it seem, dedicated viewers, that when you tune in & see just the baby on the nest with those 2 eggs, that the babe is trying to hatch them...only because he's so big now. I believe those eggs will never hatch, it's been way too long and you can tell by color that something isn't quite right. Nature on parade...it happens right in your own backyard.
J in S.P.ME
July 7 2:24 p.m.
Looks like the baby is trying to leave, was on edge of nest earlier, now back on out even further.
I am pretty sure the third egg hatched, then something happened to the baby.
Karen in Denmark
Kathy: I remember the 3rd egg hatching and living for maybe 2 days? before it was gone.
J in S.P.ME
Does anyone know how long the babies are supposed to remain in the nest before they fledge? This little guy has been trying to fledge for the last 3 days and it looks like Mom has gone off and left him. Do you think something could be wrong with his wings and he can't fly? I'm worried........
July 8
At 7:02 p.m. I thought the little one fledged. Went from one side of nest to other, then just little bit of tail showing, then gone. Back when I came back in the room at 7:09 p.m.
Karen in Denmark
7/9/08 - 7:38AM
No one on the nest. Our baby has flown the coop!
Sandy in Pinellas Park, FL
7/9 7:45am
He flew the coop! Boy that little guy's been on the edge for days now and you just knew he'd soon be gone. Karen called it yesterday...she was right!
And now do we wait again? Will anyone come back to visit? Lordy, can she do a third clutch!?!
My husband and I were walking in the woods last evening and saw a tiny,tiny whitish egg on the ground; it was about a half inch long and been predated as it was broken and most of the inside gone. We couldn't see a nest around but thought of our finches as the egg was maybe about the same size as hers.
Happy Trails
J in S.P.ME
Oh and another thing.....I'd asked awhile ago about what might happen to the non-viable eggs and it looks like I have most of my answer now - nothing! I wonder if she will use the nest again with these 2 bad eggs hanging around? If the nest were more open - would those eggs be taken by some predator? Lots to wonder about as I head downstairs to work.....
J in S.P.ME
June 9
I guess we will all have empty nest syndrome looking at the nest now.
J in S.P. that may have been a Ruby Throat hummingbird egg. They are white, size of jelly bean or large pea. The house finch is pale blue with spots.
We have had a phoebe nest three times on our corner eave!
Karen in Denmark
good pic of the eggs this morning at 9:09am.
My cam is frozen on 7/9, but I guess the baby is gone...We have a momma house wren (I think) sitting on 4 eggs on top of a shelf in our garage. Very small, light colored eggs. Bird is only about 3 inches tall, light brown with a masked face...very cute.
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