Whisper and Creamsicle's two-toned youngster fledged a couple of days ago. I went to remove the nest box to discourage them from starting a new clutch, and was SHOCKED to find not only some eggs, but a HATCHLING! It looks like they were "using" the older youngster to incubate, because they weren't staying in the nest all that much. I had no earthly idea another clutch was WELL under way! Based on its size, the new baby would have hatched roughly the same day that the older chick left the nest. Yikes! This is going to be interesting at best.
I'm not comfortable separating the mom and dad and letting mom take care of the hatchling and eggs, and letting dad take care of the older youngster, because last time I separated them, the mom abandoned the nest. They've already plucked the older chick's tail a bit. I guess I'll have to play this one by ear. The fledgling has a good 2-3 weeks to go before it's fully weaned. :-/
Never a dull moment!
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