FROM EGGS... TO BABIES

I'm a little late in posting this, but this starts about 3 weeks ago...

We got to PA late Thursday night. On Friday morning my husband goes all around watering the potted plants we have on the deck.

He goes upstairs where we have a small deck with a shadow box...

and I hear "There are birds hanging out up here"... Then I hear, "We have eggs!"

Inside the shadow box, is a nest with 4 spotted eggs.

I did see both Mom and Dad, but could not get a picture of them. They are Northern Junkos also known as Dark Slated Junko.

2 weeks later, we went back to PA and.....

there were babies in the nest!

Where you see the yellow lines - that is the outline of thier beaks. If you look close you can see 4 separate yellow outlines. One is beneath the leaf on the left. There ae 4 babies!

And here's Momma. So very hard to see her standing right in the middle over the nest.

((While I was at work, my husband likes to change my screen saver on me, and I came home to this picture. These are not my babies, but I love the similarity, and I just love this picture.))

On Sunday, we packed up to head home. Gianna must think we are going to forget her, because she always climbs on top of the packages. If you take one, she'll just climb up on the next one.

See you later...

PONCHO AND LEFTY

I am sorry to say that Leftina has gone to Rainbow Bridge,

where she will fly around free to her hearts content.

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But poor Poncho was sad, all alone in his cage.

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So meet his buddy Lefty.

Lefty is the one that is mostly white with tan markings.

Quite different I thought.

I do not know if you can see it, but Lefty has a sort of punk rock hair-do on top of his head that I just love. Lefty is a Society finch.

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Poncho is a Gouldian finch. He is the one with all the bright colors.

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I am pretty sure Lefty is a boy, by the way they hang out together.

They do seem like good buddies.

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I have 2 videos, I just wish I also had sound,

as the little sounds and chirps they make constantly is just so nice to listen to.

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The long white dish you see in the middle, on the floor, is a dish I found that is just perfect as a bath, and everytime I put their bath out, they get very active.

It is fun to watch.

I still have not been able to catch them bathing.

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The second video they have calmed down some.

Poncho and Leftina - silent movie

Silent movie of my 2 finches - Poncho and Leftina.

This is just a test to see how the movie feature downloads - hopefully soon I get them bathing, or catch Poncho in his mating dance.

They did take a bath again this morning, but again I missed it.

Poncho and Leftina - share a nest

What a pretty bird Poncho is. But where is Leftina?

Here I am.

Nitey-nite little ones.

We have new bird buddies....

Gianna here. Mom and Dad just came back with a gift for me - more bird friends.

Mom assured me they weren't statues, even though it has been over an hour and they have not moved.

Here are some pictures.

My Dad named them Poncho and Lefty.

That's Poncho on the right. He's a male Gouldian finch.

This is Lefty, a society finch. Mom's not sure if he is a boy or a girl yet. They told her at the store, if it sings it is a boy.