A house finch has made its nest on our back deck.

Last year a robin built a nest and raised its young.

Now a house finch has taken residence in the nest.

I've decided to chronicle how the finch raises its young...

...from a face only a mother finch could love, to a bird ready to fly away.

Its brilliant color indicates that this is the male bird.
The female is more plainly colored.
April 27, 2006 (Notice how clean the nest is.)
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
May 5
May 6
May 7
May 8 Notice how filthy the nest has become. This bird just poops in its nest. Not a clean bird like the robin before it.
May 9
May 10
The parent birds are very skittish and watch from a nearby tree. They won’t come near when someone is near the nest.
May 11
May 12
May 13
Lots of activity today.
Parents are very excited.
The father bird...
...and the mother bird keep checking the nest.
Right after I took this picture, two of the birds flew from the nest.
Two baby birds remain in the nest.
May 14
May 15
May 16 This morning when I looked at the nest, one bird remained. When I moved toward the nest, the bird flew up to a nearby tree. Now once again the nest is empty.