Sometimes guesswork and baseless supposition turns out to be true. When I surmised the other day that momma Willie was sitting a bit higher in the nest than usual, and that the bits of fluff around the edge of the nest might signal that the eggs had hatched, this turns out to be the case!

I know this now because on approaching the nest this morning, Archie and I were just in time to see one parent leave it and fly away, while the other perched close by with something delicious in its beak.

In the time it took to train the unfeasibly large lens on the nest, he/she was already approaching — and the unmistakeable shapes of a hatchling’s beak could be seen above the rim of the nest.

Then things started happening very quickly. Parent came down to the nest and three little heads popped up, yellow beaks agape. He/she darted down once and then again, thrusting the food into the wide-open maws of their progeny.

We stayed and watched as this cycle repeated itself twice more within a period of less than ten minutes. Most of the time one parent stayed on the nest while the other went foraging for bugs; some of the time they were both away and the chicks kept their heads down.

Although this was utterly fascinating, the real surprise came after feeding — the parents would do a quick spot of housekeeping: having stuffed one end of their progeny with food, they’d then clear the nest of whatever came out of the other end. Avert your eyes if matters concerning defecation bother you, because below we have the entire process.

Not a task to be envied . . . but then they say it’s different when it’s your own child’s. Tidy home, healthy home!

Apologies if this subject matter is less than salubrious — but isn’t it fascinating to witness this tiny family coming into being?