And Then They Were Gone

I knew it was going to happen, but I didn't think it would be so soon...three hours after I posted the picture of the 5 chicks yesterday, this is what remained...one undeveloped egg.

I have to admit, I was extremely disappointed that I missed watching the chicks fly away...but I was really happy that Johny had put our critter cam up so we could capture what was happening in the nest.  This is a video I created with the photos taken from 2:07pm - 3:15pm...you can see a few chicks in the nest being coaxed by mama to spread their wings and you actually see the very last chick contemplating it's next step before being gone (unfortunately you don't actually see them fly away).  If you receive my blog posts by email, you may need to click on the title link to see this video.

I thought you might be curious to see the whole nest.  At first I thought the opening was at the top of the nest but now see it is on the side, creating a door so to speak with a lovely little cocoon for the chicks...

The Pipevine Swallowtail also emerged...I noticed it yesterday as well...looks like an ant is enjoying the remains...

Yesterday must have been an amazing day for much of life...I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to watch so much of life "happening" every day!  Life is good:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise