Junior

[Lesley Jones]

As if we don't have enough animals to worry about, now the wildlife are having a go. My husband finished off the llamas and pig last night while I rushed in to inject our diabetic cat. Minutes later he was outside the kitchen window with something small and fluffy in his hands. It seems one of our resident swallow babies had fallen out of the nest and was in danger of being trampled. He wanted to get a ladder and pop him back in the nest, but I feared losing him today in the heat. (The nest is in the top of the field shelter roof). I won and Junior was placed in the hay rack and I stayed long enough to see his parents return and feed him.

This morning he was nowhere to be seen in the rack, but then I heard familiar chirping from the empty feed bin. It's a large plastic container in the corner that we fill with alfalfa in the winter. He seemed bright, so we've left him there, but will check again tonight

 

[Pete Askew]

Nice shot a lovely tale to go with it. When I worked in agrichemical research, the building I was in had nests all along two sides (in fact, it was designed to be suitable for Swallows etc as it was an ecology centre). One day I had the window to my office open and a young Swallow messed up its landing and shot in. After flying around a few times it decided to settle on the edge of a 2m high filing cabinet. Unfortunately, this was made of shiny, powder coated steel and it slipped off down the back. It took us the best part of an hour to empty and move the cabinet to rescue it. I kept my window closed after that!

 

[Lesley Jones]

Well... Junior is still bright and he didn't mind two llamas, one pig and two humans bustling around the field shelter earlier. The parents fly around until we leave the field and go straight back in. The shelter is out of our cats' range (they're on the Freedom Fence) and the llamas won't allow foxes or badgers to get too close. I'm hopeful he's going to make it

 

[Steve Boykin]

THANK YOU SO MUCH Leslie!!!!!

He sure is cute. Birds are fantastic parents. I must have watched The Life of Birds documentary 20 times. They are amazing creatures.

I started feeding the birds here at my house. I now have 4 feeders and a bird bath. I have the feeders set up on a metal clothes line pole so the Betty can't get to them. Actually she doesn't seem interested. I think she thinks she is a dog. She spends all her time with the dogs. The squirrels aren't real happy about the metal pole. That said enough falls on the ground for them and I have to leave some on the ground for the doves anyway.

 

[Lesley Jones]

This is now his 4th day out of the nest and this morning he was nowhere to be seen. I knew this would happen one day, but I didn't think he was ready to fly properly yet. I hunted around the shelter, being careful where I was treading and then I found him in the feed bin on the OTHER side!

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Lovely Lesley, you paint a very clear vivid picture with your words..

 

[Glenn Clabo]

Nice photo...great story Lesley. Birds are just amazing creatures. Even here in the city I get to watch them take care of their young and their daily life requirements. From the seagulls that drop their shell fish on our terrace to open them...to the Robin family with the one legged mom who we all Peg.