*this pic was taken through my screened lanai. The first to leave the nest and investigate his surroundings. Mom quickly got him ushered under the bush line.
The first baby ditched the nest with a brave jump landing like a pro on his feet yesterday morning. 12 days in the nest was quite enough! What a big boy! All 4 were out by this morning when we woke up. The parents are still feeding them. They know exactly where they are even when they move. They won't be able to fly for up to a week. One got over our 6 foot fence and out of the playpen(our yard is like a great big playpen surrounded by white vinyl fence) and is now in our neighbors bushes, safely hidden for the time being. A snake has threatened and a hawk was chased out by the parents, followed by me screaming, and my husband not too far behind. Since then, they have all come under very tight control, quiet, and are well hidden. The parents are teaching them well. I can see how it just wouldn't work if you couldn't or wouldn't be willing to give your backyard up for 5 weeks(we use to enjoy using our pool). I wonder what happens to these poor little things in this case. The parents are highly aggressive. Little Monsters. My indoor cats can't even sit on the screened lanai without being tormented with their screaming and charging toward the screen with scare tactics. It's a no fly zone to any other birds who unknowingly are on route to their own destinations too, boy do they get a good nippin. And, when it's baby birdie bedtime (8ish) and we are sitting on the screened lanai, we get squawked inside. So you see, life living with the Mockers raising a family is for the birds...It's been our pleasure though! Really so enjoyable to watch.
