Hatchling Phoebes

Watch closely at the movement in the egg. Even after 20 years of working with wildlife this still amazes me. The eggs were brought in after the mother (Eastern Phoebe) was attacked by a cat and died. She had been unable to tend to her eggs and away from the nest too long. Do we try? Yes, and we gently placed them in a makeshift nest in the incubator, still hoping but figuring it was over. Later, we would candle them to see if they were viable. Then the small crack appeared in one egg. Now the staff is hovering around the incubator tenderly feeding them. I really have a great crew this year and they make me proud. The Phoebes have a difficult road without mom but we are willing to try. These hatchlings are so small that two would fit on a dime.