Every time I go through the basement door I'm only about 8" from the nest and earlier today as I went down to get something from the basement there was mom in the nest. She and I made the usual eye contact and It was almost like I could read her mind. She was telling me she had finished her job and it was time for her chicks to fly and enjoy their freedom.
She was crowding the chicks out of the nest. Sorry for the blurry quality but I was taking the photos from sunlight to shade where the chicks were. There were three chicks huddled together like they didn't know what to do. As I stood there she would fly up to the nest and then fly away trying to convey to them what they needed to do. If that doesn't work she will stop bringing food to them and they should then get the hint. Kind of reminded me of getting teenagers out of the house. If they get the hint they don't acknowledge it and when they do more often than not they end up returning to the nest.
Tomorrow these guys will all be gone except maybe for one that can't get the courage up to fly away. Last year one sat on the shelf for two days before he/she got hungry enough to fly away. I can't imagine the exhilaration that little bird experienced when it realized it was flying and the freedom associated with flight. Another successful brood this year and it is always something to look forward to when the song birds return...
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