Blackbird chicks

Those people that read this blog and are not nesters may not realise how quickly some chicks grow. The perching birds (passerines) need to grow and get out of the nest as quick as possible, being in the nest there's a high risk of predation from mammals and other birds. They grow feathers to get out and away but these are poor quality feathers, they then undergo a full moult into their proper plumage.

These Blackbird chicks were photographed and appeared on this site on the 22nd of this month on hatching day -

And the scene today just 5 days later - 

You can see the quill sheaves emerging on their wings despite still being bald in places. These birds take 12-15 days to fledge so depending on availability of food and growth rate, if they survive they could leave the nest in 7 days time.