Vulnerable!

I never considered myself to be very maternal...until today that is! 

This morning the baby blackbirds, that have been safely tucked away in the  Mahonia for two weeks, decided to leave the safety of their nest. Only one can fly and the others were hopping around on the ground. I think that there's four altogether.

This little poppet has insisted on sitting in the middle of the gravel all day. The warm sunshine must have been quite a lure after the dark, confines of the nest but there's been a black cat on the prowl and my heart has been in my mouth all day. Both parents are feeding him, so I know that he's not abandoned. 

As I'm not certain if it can get back up to the nest for the night, I've made him a nest box from cardboard and placed it on the ground. I couldn't see him, so hopefully he's safe and sound.