Juvenile Lesser Redpoll at 1 days old.

It's now 4 days since I was taken to a lesser Redpoll nest by Mark Perry, a very skilled and talented nest finder.  I mentioned in my previous post when talking about Cuckoos how I had learnt  something new today.  I can honestly say that I have learned something else new today!   I have been staggered by the speed of development of the young Redpolls, it's quite amazing how rapidly these young birds have developed. Compare the photos of the juveniles  over these last 4 days.   I was told by Mark that on Sturday that the chicks were 7 days old, their eyes were barely open and pin-feathers were errupting. They easily found space  in the surprisingly small cup nest. But just 4 days on and at 11 (or perhaps 12 days),  they are on the verge of fledging the nest.  I estimate that when I return tomorrow, if I get the chance, they will have fledged.  What is remarkable is that  seemingly they are fed on seed which has a relatively low protein content.   They will continue to be cared for by both parents once they leave the nest.  This is a very crucial time in their lives and it is  fraught with many challenges for survival.  Predation is more likely to happen in the nest which is why they have evolved to spend as short a time as possible there  but once out of the nest, the first few hours and days will be a equally dangerous.  They must quickly learn to avoid predation.  Magpies, Jays , Crows and Sparrowhawks all search for young fledglings at this time of year. I actually saw a Jay today that was almost certainly searching for ground nesting birds.

I also took a few nice photographs of the female today as well.  I am extremely pleased with this  portrait.