Forest Floor Babies

Three nestlings in their camouflaged nest on the forest floor

Two are in the nest and the third is at top left

Three days later the nestlings are developing pin feathers

This beautiful fourth egg didn’t hatch

A few days ago a clutch of GRP rowers held a work party to clear some brush and trim some trees. While working they spied a nest flush on the forest floor made of coarse grasses with three white throated sparrow nestlings. The parents were hovering in the nearby cedars making their "tseeep" contact calls. Rower Steve Whelpley photographed the babies and then the rowers demarcated the area with dried pine boughs so nobody would mistakenly step on the nursery.

I returned three days later and found the nestlings adjacent to the nest with their pin feathers starting to come in. Soon they will be amidst the other white throated sparrows we hear from one end to the other of Big Hosmer singing their distinctive tune, "Poor Sam, Peabody, Peabody, Peabody."