 |
| Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) nestlings |
Oh, they do grow up fast!
Ijams education director Jennifer Roder was surprised to find this Carolina wren nest outside her office window at the nature center and had a perfect vantage point to watch the entire nesting process.
Surprised because it's so late in the season, so late in the season in fact, educator Emily Boves speculates that it was the third clutch for this pair of wrens. Raising one brood must be exhausting, but three?
Jen took the above photo on Saturday, July 23 and as she points out, the four nestlings are starting to get their "Big Boy" wing feathers.
Sure enough. Poof. Today they are gone. Fledged. Hasta la vista, baby. Off to wren college.
And their parents? Well, actually they are not quite finished. After they teach their new young ones how to be wrens—what to eat, where to find food, where to roost, what to be afraid of, how to communicate, etc. etc.—then they will take some time off. Or at least, that's what we think.
- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales. Photo by Jennifer Roder.
No comments:
Post a Comment