:: the Tale of an Over-Achiever
a sweet over-acheiver on her nest
These are the birds in the third tier of the cage rack. The bird on the perch is the chick from the first nest. He is a knothead crested like his mom. The orange boy in the feeder is Minstrel, filling up on seed to feed his family. Fully fluffed out and setting is Lily AKA Knothead. The moniker was bestowed on her when she took longer than expected to learn where the food/water was in her fist cage.
But you cannot but take note on how quickly she accepted her mate, built a nest and laid her eggs! She knew what she was about. This was evidenced in the perfect hemp twine nest she built. It appeared complete in a few hours. From this nest she and Minstrel raised the one chick, both feeding and caring for it. Once Lily had made the second nest, Minstrel took over full care of the fledgling. He also makes sure his mate is fed whilst incubating the eggs.
Speaking of eggs... every morning for a week I was peaking in her nest. One egg, I announced to very disinterested caniness. Two eggs, I told a more interested sweetie. Three, four, five...Six...SEVEN! Now humans were more than amazed! Seven eggs from such a tiny bird. No wonder the family was devouring the egg-food. I am too inexperienced to know if I should have removed one or two of the eggs. None of the other hens are at the same stage of laying so putting an egg in another nest is not an option. Besides they have fourteen eggs between the three hens.
cages get messy until the chicks are flighted and I can pull the tray with out disturbing them.
The cage fronts ordered from Brenton Seeds have arrived. These will be placed in a larger shelving unit, more than doubling housing. With the increased space there will be plenty of space for flight and exercise. Putting swings in the cages adds to the entertainment. In one of my previous flight cages there was a wide swing, long enough to hold five canaries. It was comical watching the birds. They would sit in opposite directions and by the look on their faces they were wondering just who was driving this thing. One cock found diving through the swing above the others his special talent, tucking his wings and swishing past feathered heads.
Yes, I spend time watching birds when I should be doing something else. Not sure what could be more important and I admit to the world I don't care!
Zuzia saying goodnight,
snug and warm on a -23°C evening
Stay Calm, Be Brave, Sing Your Song! With love,
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jgs / |`= the Little Brown Bird