Another month begins and time is running out for our box watch - the chicks will soon be gone. The reference books indicate that we have about three days of their company left. They are spilling out of the nest cup quite regularly and seem completely comfortable with this idea.
For the moment though, they are still completely dependent on their
parents who seem to feed them in erratic bursts. This is partly
prompted by our refilling the mealworm feeder, but the male has never
taken advantage of this source of food, preferring to pick his green
caterpillars from the local trees. Just recently, he brought in an
enormous one, and having failed to get it down the throat of two of the
chicks, he left in disgust with it still in his beak. Thirty seconds
later he was back and this time one of them managed to swallow the
thing. Whether he processed it in some way when outside, or whether
it was a case of third time lucky, I don't know.
From the chicks' point of view, they are never fed often enough - you can see which one is looking smug here! (A parental tail can be seen making a hurried exit, at the bottom of the picture.)