Phoebe chicks outgrow the nest and test their wings.

Say's Phoebe Chicks hatched April 7, Pinal County, Arizona.
Sayornis saya Order: passeriforms Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

	7 days old All poop and peep. In one end and out the other. Two weeks later Fuzz to feathers to fly away, within a month.
Four eggs were hatched in a tight, grass nest constructed on a stereo speaker under our carport. The phoebe chicks quickly outgrew their home, and one hapless guy was shoved overboard the second week. I suspected a parasite, a cowbird egg laid in the nest to be raised by host parents, but the three remaining chicks grew up to resemble Miss Phoebe.
Bully bird was the unchallenged ruler of the roost. He outgrew the others, always first in line for bugs, and used the old feather-fluffing trick to appear bigger.
24 days old The chicks soon learned to heed mama's survival calls. A low, sad "twee" silenced their squawks when danger approached. At her quick "twip" the nest exploded as chicks scattered in different directions. A short whistle brought them out of the nest one by one. Mama let me know, clearly, when the babies were through posing for photographs. Living takes life.Miss Phoebe had good reason to be nervous; her offspring could easily become someone's meal. Papa, always nearby, was a flying ace bomber when cats or photographers got too close to the little ones.
Flight! Out of the stinky nest and out from under each other; tasting the desert spring, stretching their wings to keep up with mama. Miss Phoebe counts tails as her babies line up along the wire.
At three weeks old the chicks tested their wings on short hops from the nest to the fence wire, with Miss Phoebe right at their tails. They mastered flying in the morning, got the hang of it right away, then the whole family, mama and papa and three kids, lined up along the wire for bug catching class. The babies didn't enjoy that lesson so much, still shook their feathers in the feed me dance. Mama usually gave in. Sometimes in the afternoon Miss Phoebe would take a break from the brood and come to the patio to watch me read. Although I considered us friends, she still gave the warning "twee" when I walked through the carport, even when I wasn't carrying a camera. The chicks moved into the desert north of our fence, leaving a ruined speaker and a quiet carport. They're more heard than seen these days. One grown up little chick with fresh, new colors has made a few visits out front to the patio.
Two gifts we can give our children: one is roots, the other is wings.
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