Nancy and I took care of a pair of Australian Zebra Finches while Darrel Ford recuperated in the Hospital. Soon, we were charmed. When Ford returned home, he gave us the finches as a thank you gift.

We called the male “Sweetie” and the female “Dear One” after our nicknames. We bought a larger cage because finches love to fly and need space. We researched and learned how to take care of them. They are a substitute for furry pets because Nancy is allergic to hair. The finches soon became members of our family.

I learned a lot about bird behavior in a few months. He chases her several times a day. She avoids him until it stops and they perch. She has a sad call, his is a high-pitches series of notes. They take baths. They shake and jiggle so fast that drops of water fly outside the cage. They spend a lot of time primping. They are messy. Life in a cage is boring. They eat all day long and deposit droppings on newspapers. They gnaw on the cuttle bone and swipe their finch bills on the perch to clean them. They also spend a lot of time preening.

After several months, I noticed them mating. A short time after, three eggs appeared on the bottom of their nest box. None of them hatched. This happened several times until recently, after not having looked for a long time, we saw six eggs in the nest. They took turns incubating. One day, I aimed a flashlight beam into the nest. “Nancy, we have baby chicks – six of them!”

I soon learned that both parents store crushed seeds in their crop and feed the young. About two weeks later we started hearing the chicks calling for food. A lot of crying sounds were coming from this little nest. They were growing. I peeked in and saw the yellow skin outlining their bills. This adaptation helps the adults find the openings to thrust their bills into their open mouths to feed.

A few weeks later, I spotted a chick standing on the lip of the nest. Dear One stood by flapping her winds in encouragement. The chick looked back and forth and finally took the plunge, falling onto the floor. It spent lots of time shaking, flapping, and muscle toning. It hopped onto a perch and looked rather shabby. Both parents pulled off down feathers and ate them.

As the days passed, four chicks exited the nest and repeated the behaviors of the first. Their feet and toes are large and look awkward. They had trouble walking on the floor. Each morning, they’d all be crowded into the nest. By this time, the nest was stuffed. The two smallest chicks still had not left. They did however, peek out occasionally when one of their siblings stood on the lip. Both adults listened to the four chicks scream to be fed. This was not happening. Only the two stragglers get fed when they made  a racket inside the nest.

Nancy put pieces of yarn into the cage. Almost immediately Sweetie, grabs them and puts them into the nest. He lives for this and if handed yarn pieces all day long, he’s there to help build the family nest.

At this point in the story, we have a plan on what to do with six new Australian Zebra Finches. Darrel gets first pick. The other four will be donated to a pet store who said they’d take them.