Despite fairly frequent disturbance, Mrs Thrush has stuck with the nest which she built under the lean-to at the back of the house. Rachael isn't too happy as she wants to go surfing, but she's not going to move her board until the thrush family have finished with it.
It's going to be a fairly long wait. Mrs Thrush will incubate the eggs for a fortnight and then she and Mr Thrush will feed the fledglings for another fortnight before they fly the nest.
During a brief absence, we had a look inside the nest to find she's sitting on five eggs. She was seen turning them this morning.
We're now doing everything we can to avoid disturbing her, and she is getting more used to us. When she's frightened off the nest she sits on a nearby fencepost and scolds us. The next hurdle will be persuading Mr Thrush that we're not a threat, so he can take full part in the feeding of his children.
"Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens" - Gerard Manley Hopkins
ReplyDeleteI was about 15 during the summer of 1956 and I can remember hearing on the radio reports back and forth about the ANDREA DORIA, which was slowly sinking and the STOCKHOLM. That all took place over to the SE off Nantucket, our "sister" island to the east. And there were folks from the Vineyard who were on one ship or the other. They sure had some stories to tell.
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