I did a 2-day nest check today about 3 pm and my oldest chick, the one in the back, showed no signs of life. So I nudged it gently and it seemed to respond but didn't show any increased alertness.
The younger chick was very alert and asked me if I had a pepperoni pizza for it. Do chicks this age nap soundly in the middle of the day? Or is it more likely dying?
Thats a great photo. Im not an expert but I have seen mine nap like that with their heads on the gourd wall. You can reach in, pick him up gently and turn him around so his head is lying comfortably across his sibling.
I have done that many times before and it does not hurt them or bother them.
2008~(1st yr) 4 pairs, 11 to 12 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
I'd bet on napping and there is nothing you can do about it at this age anyway. Relax and enjoy. Also accept that some will die. An excellent fledge rate is 80's %. Sometimes you can help them, most reliably with nest change at 10 days old to cut down on mites,etc, but most of the time nature has to take her course.
I would also bet it is napping or it is simply satisfied because it has just been fed.
I think the one in question (because both seem to be napping), is just a little older than the other. You can notice the emergence of feathers on the one in the rear, while the one in front does not yet have the five o'clock shaddow of feather emergence.
I'm a new landlord and I too discovered the babies lethargic and just laying there. I thought they were dying but guess they will be fine.
Big disappointment is that there were 6 eggs and now only 2 chicks. No unhatched eggs or anything on the ground below. Last year my only pair raised 2 chicks that fledged. I didn't monitor as closely then and thought something killed them and took them away.
Weather is perfect now (even a little too hot) but we went through some rough spots with severe thunderstorms this year and even some straight line winds that promised to pull my Trio house off it's pole. But rain means lots of bugs so they must be well fed here in Missouri.
I just hope that the drought stricken areas across the country get some rain relief soon. I'd do my rain dance but don't have a drop of Indian blood in me. Prayers will have to do and they're best anyway.
--LindaP
Martin Colony History: Erected 1st house in 1997. Birds were checking it out before Mike got down from the ladder. Six cavities had a little colony 1st year. Grown to 88 cavities all gourds with near 100% occupancy. Most important factor for success is rain = bugs.
Another point of consideration... both nestlings are being still and quiet so as not to attract attention to themselves. I see nestlings like this all the time. Try this... when you first open the cavity's access door make a choo-choo noise. Frequently, this will fool the chicks and they will think they are about to be fed. Heads will come up and they will make their own little peeping, chooing noises. Then you can see there is absolutely nothing wrong with these adorable nestlings.
As the nestlings grow and become fully feathered and approach fledgling age, they will still do this hunkering down motionless quiet behavior. They have probably been told to look out and hide by the adult birds who have undoubtedly sounded an alarm because the human is messing with their nests again... That's why a gourd cam is so cool. You get to see Purple Martins behaving normally. Many landlords have never seen this and therefore they don't even know what they are missing...
All of the above is just my opinion based on my observations of my colony of Purple Martins. Enjoy...
Today, both hatchlings were napping ...or dying. But their development appear to be progressing, so I reckon they're okay.
All four eggs were laid within a six day span. My oldest chick was hatched six days ago today. At some point, should I look to removing the two unhatched eggs? Or to look at it from another angle, my nest change window begins today. What to do with the unhatched eggs when I change the nesting material? Should I hold off until I'm certain those eggs won't hatch?
If this nest were in my colony, the next time I did a nest check, I would remove the unhatched eggs. Sometimes the parents do not remove them, and seeing that your first hatchling hatched 6 days ago, if they were to hatch, they would be runts and would have to be moved.
A six day separation in time is just too much for any runt to overcome. It probably has happened, but it is probably not the norm.
The reason I remove unhatched eggs is that I do not want the nest to become *nasty*, should one break when the hatchlings get older, become nestlings and much more active.
P.S. This most recent photo shows a clear shot of the fecal sack that is normally removed by the parents. Notice how contained and healthy it is..........That is proof that the hatchlings are functioning well, and being fed.
Linda Reynolds-TN wrote:...
P.S. This most recent photo shows a clear shot of the fecal sack that is normally removed by the parents. Notice how contained and healthy it is..........That is proof that the hatchlings are functioning well, and being fed.
Wow, Linda, that's is great news. Thank you very much! The parents used some odd nesting materials -- mushrooms and the like -- so I wasn't sure what that was.
If the parents don't remove the eggs in the next couple of days, I probably will. The #3 egg showed a mark three days ago that looked like the initial signs of pecking through so if it were going to manage to hatch, it probably should be out already.
My but PUMA chicks do nap a lot, don't they. This is from today. The oldest is 9-10 days old.
I removed the unhatched eggs. I candled them, then opened them. Neither showed any significant development past fertilization, if the were even fertilized.
BirdBrain, as you can see by your photo, their eyes are just about to open. Until now they do not see or know anything about the world in which they live. All babies, human, canine, and avian need to rest and grow, and that is exactly what they are doing.
It is not unusual for hatchlings to nap and simply wait for the next vocal alert that *dinner is served*. Once their eyes open, you will see them become more active, alert and responsive. They will probably show signs of fear when you look inside that access port, but that is all normal.....
Enjoy this experience and watch them grow........In just 28 days after hatching, they are ready to hit the skies. It goes by quickly, so enjoy these close up moments.
Again, you are taking wonderful photos. I really have enjoyed your contributions.
Thank you Linda, but I can't take the credit. I have a wonderful Nikon digital camera with a really goof-proof (and effective) Macro mode. But now that I know they're developing normally, I probably will disturb them less often, so there will be fewer opportunities for photos.
But their development appear to be progressing, so I reckon they're okay.
