The Cardinal Nest

Previously in the post Nest Watch, I talked about finding a cardinal nest.

 Cardinals in my experience are very shy and secretive. I have never seen or spotted any of their nests before in trees or bushes, so this is my first time finding a cardinal nest (imagine my excitement ^^). Here below, I will post almost everyday of the chick's growth and development. Hopefully, they will survive the danger of cats and other predators. So check once in a while for updates!

*I will start from "day one"-meaning the day the chicks hatched- because I don't know ho long the eggs have been incubated in the nest. Just to let you know, I found the nest with the eggs on May 23rd.

Day 1- May 24, 2014

2 cardinal chicks hatched today! Probably sometimes in the morning because I checked them early in the afternoon. The are tiny and bald with a little bit of fluff on their head and body. They remind me a lot of the baby zebra finches I used to raise (but these cardinal babies are bigger). The chicks started gaping at me with their mouth open, but they won't need food at least for the first 2 days after hatching. I noticed that they still have a bit of absorbed yolk left on their belly which will serve as an excellent source of food and nutrients.

The second baby is behind the begging chick, it's a bit hard to see because it is lying down.

Day 2- May 25, 2014

This was the first thing I saw when I neared the nest. The female cardinal's tail was sticking out of the bush. I waited until the mother flew off to find food, then checked the chicks.

If you noticed in the picture that some of the leaves are different on the bush, it's because they are. I added some branches of similar looking leaves inside the bush, because I thought the space was too open and very inviting for predators to snatch away the babies.

Also, the third egg hatched, now, the only one left is the fourth egg.

Day 3- May 26, 2014

When I peered in the nest this morning, around 8:50, I saw blood on two of the baby chicks' faces! I almost thought that there had been a predator attack, until I noticed that one of the pointy spruce tree leaves were lying on top of the chick. Spruce leaves are very pointy and needle-like, so the tender skin of the cardinal babies were easily poked by the needles, causing it to bleed. 

I removed the spruce branch and replaced it with a maple branch. The soft leaves would not bother the chicks. Hopefully, the babies' wounds won't cause them too much harm in growing up.