This was the first day she sat in the nest.
Western Kingbird
Date: 4/JUN/2003
Notes: Still sitting low in the nest quietly. Not much flying.
I assumed the first chick hatched on this day. She is still sitting in the nest most of the time.
TOP: She appears to be sitting higher than before. You can see her entire back.
BOTTOM: Is she feeding the checks? I don't hear the chicks, though. She went back to sit after this.
ON 14/JUN/2003
Male (assumed) starts to fly back to the nest more often than before. Both birds now spend more time by the nest and they act like feeding the chicks. I still don't hear the babies cry. What's going on?
Today I had my first visual confirmation of the chicks at this nest. Three chicks are visible.
Both parents are busy feeding the chicks.
In the lower shot I can see the 4th chick.
4 chicks are growing up.
June 29, 2003
I can only see 3 chicks in the nest. I found the fourth dead on the ground directly under the nest. The cause is unknown. Also note the one on the right looks smaller than the other two.
In the top shot the bird in the middle is the smallest.
Later I learned from Clifford Shackelford of Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. that this species hatches all eggs at the same time (synchronous hatching) and, therefore, we should not see chicks in very much different sizes in a nest. This suggests something may be wrong with the small one.
July 2, 2003
Three chicks are still in the nest. Two are visible in this shot.
I went to the nest and found it empty. Eventually I found everyone around the nesting site. Chick shown above can fly, but, the one below (named Angel) cannot. I spent almost all day observing Angel on this day. He (?) tries to fly, but, just cannot take off. At least one parent comes close to him, however, it will not feed Angel. Parents keep feeding other two fledged chicks on top of the tree in the same area. I tried to contact Katy and Houston area organizations for help, but, they are closed for the 4th.
It was hot in the day and Angel seems tired. While I continued to watch him I was afraid he maybe killed by a cat or a car passing by. In the mid-afternoon a storm hit us and he got wet. I decided to take him in and hoped he will survive until the next day when I can bring him to a rehabber.
Unfortunately he died that night.
Did he have some kind of defect? Is that why parents would not feed him? Or, did the parents choose not to take care of him so that they can concentrate on the other two?
After all, this site fledged two birds out of four. The dangers for those young ones, however, are far from over.
Kinjo Yonemoto
