31st May 2014 ..

Well the weather has improved, and at 09:30 this morning, this is what happened:

As predicted, Toughie took the plunge, and ventured out into the big wide world.

However, what happened next was a little more unexpected !!
Having seen his big brother venture out, Tiny did this :

I must admit, I didn't think he looked ready at all ... But after a spell of wing flapping, and obviously encouraged by Molly, 20 minutes after Toughie, he too took the plunge !!

A couple of hours later, I was tootling around the garden, and I was convinced that I could hear nearby blue tit calls, and scanned the nearby trees to try and spot them.

Toughie was nowhere to be seen .... but then I spotted Tiny, looking sorry for himself, just below the nestbox, trying to hide in the undergrowth as best he could.

As I suspected, I think he was at least a couple of days off fledging, but he bravely took the plunge, but rather than fly outwards, fell straight down to earth with a bump !!

I know that his Mom would probably have found him down there, but he was so vulnerable down there on his own, and a ready meal for the circling magpies. So, I decided to pick him up and put him back in the box, where he would at least be safe from predators, hoping upon hope that Molly would come back, check the box and continue to feed him.

Sure enough, Molly did return ... Tiny was looking a little lonely and sorry for himself, but seemed to perk up after a meal from Mom.

She has continued to return to the nestbox to feed him. I hope she has realised that he is not quite ready yet, and will try and fatten him up a little more, before he tries to venture out once again. 

30th May 2014 ..

Lots of activity in the nestbox ... and I think that D-Day is fast approaching (for Toughie at least!)
Tiny is finally giving as good as he gets !! Here you can see the size difference between the two of them.

Toughie is doing lots of wing flapping, and even venturing up to the hole !! He's desperate to go ...Molly must think so too, as tonight is the first night when she has left them 'Home Alone'!

Not sure Tiny is quite ready though ... I hope Molly doesn't forget him if Toughie goes ... 

27th May 2014 ..

A few more days have passed, and look at them now !!
As you can see, both chicks are developing fast, but we definitely have a 'Toughie' and a 'Tiny' !!
Fair play to Molly though, she is trying as best she can, to keep them both fed equally. Here, Tiny gets the benefit of a big caterpillar all to himself ...

You might think that this is Molly, but no, this is Toughie !! He is already going walkabout and preening his wings, and showing why he's earned the nickname Toughie, as he sits on his little brother, and then nestles back into the cup looking sheepish, when Mom returns !!

If all keeps on going well, we might actually make it this year.. (fingers crossed !!)

23rd May 2014 ...

I haven't posted any updates for a couple of days, as I must admit, I didn't want to be the bearer of more bad news ! So, I nervously just kept on checking every now and again, always half expecting the worst ...

This was the situation this evening :

I know !!! Isn't she just the best mom ?? The remaining twins, despite all the adversity they have gone through,  are developing well, both have a good covering of feathers and are already stretching their wings at every opportunity. I think that the change in the weather has helped Molly find enough food to keep them both sated. Let's hope that she can keep it up ...

20th May 2014 .. and then there were two !

It looks like the weaker of the trio, gave up the fight, and so we are left with just the two ..

They look perky enough at the moment ...

Let's hope that the recent rain showers can help Molly find enough food for them ..

19th May 2014 ..

Hope springs eternal ...

After the trauma of the weekend,  I genuinely believed that this would be the final post to the blog this year ..

I was slightly encouraged, when I noticed that Molly was still visiting the nest first thing this morning, so I had a peek at the cam, and the last 3 chicks were still alive and kicking ... and off I went to work ...

Arriving home, it was with some trepidation that I turned on the cam ... 
Well, imagine my surprise that not only were the trio of chicks still alive and kicking, but that Supermom Molly had removed all 6 of the dead chicks from the nest !!

So who would have thought that we would see this sight tonight ??

Having invested so much in her brood, Molly has obviously decided to try her utmost to see the job through. Well, with a fair wind and her dogged determination, and now with just 3 chicks to raise, who would bet against her ?? You go girl !!

18th May 2014 .. (2)

Well, I'm afraid I have no happier news to report ...

As I earlier suspected, Mick does indeed appear to have gone AWOL ...

Molly is doing her level best to try and keep the remaining 3 chicks fed, but you can see that she is really struggling. I think she knows the writing is on the wall, but she is still doing all she can to try and keep the remaining chicks alive.

I think that to stand any chance, she will need to remove the perished chicks from the nest, and it looks highly unlikely that she will have the energy to perform such a major task.

Sorry that it's all doom and gloom again, we don't seem to be having much luck recently, but while there's life, there's hope ... So, let's see what tomorrow brings ..