Day Seven - Sight

Wow! Today the babies opened their eyes! They aren't all the way open, though. I would guess about half-way. Have you ever seen baby kittens when they first open their eyes, and they're still a little sealed around the edges for a day or so? That's what they look like.

They are also a good deal larger and look disturbingly like very small, plucked chickens. Their beaks are starting to suit them a bit better as well. They are still quite large for their heads but the babies seem to be growing into them. You might also notice that their pinfeathers get significantly longer each day.

They are big enough today that when they scream for food, their heads reach out of the nest. Up until today, I had to peer down into the nest to get pictures of them with mouths wide.




A special treat for you today ... video! The sound is a bit distorted, and as I was going for a closeup I bumped a baby (not hard!) So I'm not much of a videographer... but I think the video offers a bit more perspective on their size and location.

Day Six - Growth Spurt

The baby starlings are at least double their birth size now. Their skin is almost totally dark now, and they have quite a bit of fuzz. Their pinfeathers are a bit longer than yesterday. Really though they have changed a lot in just the last day, let alone from birth. They are strong and vocal and very vigorous.

Day Five - Elimination

Well I guess the babies have hit a milestone - one pooped on me today!!

Other than that, they have grown tremendously. You can see how they fill my hand now, compared to just four days ago when I could have fit all four in my hand easily. They have pinfeathers starting on their wings also, and are getting darker. I don't know if their bones are ossifying or what, but underneath their skin is getting really dark, almost black, especially along their wings, tails, and bellies.

You might notice this little guy is totally hanging his out off my hand... actually I was catching him! He was trying to wriggle away and I didn't want him to get hurt if he fell from my hand back into the nest. I snapped this picture just as he decided to crap on me... eeeewwww.

Day Four - Activity

Oh my gosh, these guys have gotten so active in the last day! They are very strong and try to wriggle out of my hand. All of them peep very loudly and think I am their mother coming back with food for them.

I just read that imprinting in birds takes place between 7 and 10 days so on those days I might not hold them when I take their picture. I don't want them to think I am their real mother.

They have claws on their feet now and their wings are dark, like they are about to sprout pinfeathers. Their eyes are also very dark and you can see a little ear-hole too. They seem to also have a bit more fuzzy gray down on their backs, but are still very naked.

Day Three - Bigger

The babies look the same, except bigger. They were peeping at me when I looked at them this morning so I know Mama Bird has not abandoned them. They sound like a cat and a chick at the same time, kind of like a "prrrrr-eeeep!"

I also noticed that their eyes are darker. Not open yet though. And that one egg hasn't hatched. I figure Mama Starling will discard it when she's ready.

Day Two - Stronger

The babies seem a lot stronger today. Yesterday when I saw them, only one lifted his head to eat. Today all four did. They were peeping in the nest and sounded a lot like baby chickens.
I think peeping is universal to most baby birds because once when I was at Tractor Supply, I saw a bunch of the cutest ducklings you ever saw, and they were peeping like chicks.

The babies don't seem to have changed a lot, other than being stronger. One grabbed my finger and tried to swallow it. It felt like suction, just like a mammal baby.



The fifth egg has not hatched. I'm sure its a dud. I hope so, because if it hatches now, that baby will be much smaller than its siblings and will most likely die.



Their ridiculous grins remind me of The Joker.

One thing I am worried about... when I went to see them this evening, Mama Starling was not around. I didn't hear her either. I think she was probably getting food, because starlings eat mostly insects, and dusk in our rural area is insect heaven. I don't think the babies could survive the night if she has abandoned the nest. If she has and they do survive, I will take them to a lady I know who is a wildlife rehabber. I don't think she would abandon them though. She is a good Mama.

Day One - Arrival

May 16th... It's a good day today. Its my wedding anniversary. And it's special because our starlings have hatched!

I thought something might be different. I generally check the nest once a day, in the evening. When I checked last night, Mama was a bit reluctant to come out. She also hung around closer while I peeked, on a tree just a few feet away rather than in her usual place in the evergreen tree. I didn't notice any changes in the nest, but I have read that just before baby birds hatch, their mommas can hear them peeping within the shell. Is it true? I don't know, but our Mama seemed to know something was up.

I checked on the nest earlier today than usual, because I was so curious. Mama Bird sure was mad! But she isn't aggressive. Some species will attack you if you are near the nest, but Mama Starling just scolds me from a distance.

Here's what I found when I peeked in today...


Its a big ole pile of baby birds!! One egg hasn't hatched. It could have been laid a day late, which means it'll hatch tomorrow, or maybe its a dud. I don't know.

The babies are the most ridiculous looking things you have ever seen. They are almost completely naked and pink, and their wings and feet are extremely small compared to their bellies. Their bellies are totally see through, and you can see their intestines. Their guts look like there is nothing holding them in because the skin there is so thin and transparent.

Their necks are very long in relation to their bodies. There are just a few tiny downy feathers at the base of their necks. Their heads are about the same size as their bellies, and their beaks are way too big for their faces. They have a few long downy feathers on top of their heads. Their eyes aren't as dark as I thought they would be, and they are covered in skin.

They look almost cartoon-like, like they aren't even real. I think God was laughing when he created baby birds, because you can't help but giggle when you see them.

The babies are completely helpless and can barely hold their heads up. They look like they're dead when you first see them because of the pathetic way they lie in the nest, but when they realize you are there they poke their heads up for something to eat. Their bodies are warm and slightly moist and you can feel how incredibly fragile they are when you hold them in your hand.

Feed me! Maybe their beaks are huge so they can get enough to eat. From what I read, these guys'll be adults in about a month, so I guess they need to eat as much as possible to grow that fast.


Try telling this little guy he's an unwanted pest. As far as I'm concerned, a life is a life, and all life is beautiful - even if its a little goofy-looking.