Bye, bye birdies, Day 17, May 6, 2009

Well, Thelma and Louie didn't read the post I sent out about being ready to fledge. I was so sure they weren't going to leave today because:

the parents fed them all day
the chicks only looked out of the hole twice
they usually do not leave the nest at night
and some other things that usually happen.

At 7pm EDT, I finished taping for the day. Both birds were huddled together sleeping in the back of the box facing away from the hole. My husband had just come home from work so we watched a program that we'd taped.

At 8:10, I checked in on the box and there were no birds!! I thought they were maybe hanging out on the 'blind spot' of the nest cam. But it was very, very quiet. We went outside -- it was already twilight. Dave opened the box and Thelma and Louie had 'flown the coop', so to speak.

So I have hundreds of hours of video (I estimate I have about 300 hours or more) except for what I had so hoped to show you...I expect one of them just decided that the unknown was too exciting to wait to see and the other one would have followed close behind.

We put out some mealworms and I could hear that chirp they used in the nest for the last week. They'll use it to keep the family together. We think that we saw them high in a tree not too far away but by then it was dark. Mama and Daddy took the mealies to them. I also saw Daddy dive bombing a squirrel.

::sigh:: I am happy and sad. I'm happy that they survived when the others didn't. I'm sad because I won't see them for 10 days to 2 weeks until the time that Daddy will bring them to the mealworm feeder to teach them how to feed themselves. In the meantime, Daddy will teach them how to survive and he'll keep them safe. He'll take them high into the trees that provide the best protection. Mama may be back in the next few days to refurbish the nest for another brood.

In the meantime, I don't have that feeling of elation that I usually have when they take their first flight. I just keep thinking of them out there on their first night in the dark.

I have two days of video to edit which I shall post.

I pray that Thelma and Louie make it so that they'll be able to come back to see me and maybe hang out through the winter.

Be safe, little birds, be safe.