Scrambled and Benedict

Well our baby birds have definitely been growing and for quite awhile we haven't been able to see them because Mrs. Patience has kept them well protected. However they are big enough now where she leaves the nest quite often and goes to get food and leaves them. The first time she left for awhile we climbed up to see how much they had grown and were shocked. One of the baby's that we have decided to name Benedict is now the size of sort of a "preteen" bird with a nice full set of feathers and looks just like his mom and dad. Then there is Scrambled. Poor guy his name really fits him. He is definitely the runt of the two. He is about half the size of Benedict and a lot more scrawny. His feathers are coming in patchy. I still think he is adorable of course I tend to root for the underdog. Deke and I have been trying to figure out if there is something developmentally wrong with him or if he literally is just going to be a smaller bird. We started to notice that every time we looked up there Mrs. Patience was always sitting on Benedict and poor little Scrambled was just sitting on the outside. I snapped this picture of the three of them last week. Benedict is so big now that she can hardly even sit on him and look at Scrambled watching the two of them cuddling, desperately wanting in on the snuggling. This picture definitely says something about their family dynamics. Anyways the other day after taking Hunter to the bus stop I saw her sitting on the nest keeping Benedict warm and Scrambled kept trying to get in under her feathers and she kept pushing him away with her head and beak not letting him get close to her. Then I started worrying. What if she hasn't been feeding him and is rejecting him and that is why he isn't growing as well. Between the three of them it is starting to get pretty crowded up there and what is Scrambled accidentally gets pushed over the edge before he can fly. I am seriously considering somehow having Deke rig a towel underneath the column to be able to catch the little guy if this happens and he falls. That way he won't get hurt. I am keeping a close eye on them and if it gets any worse we will probably call a bird sanctuary and get some advice and maybe get him out of there. Yesterday mom was gone and the two of them were actually cuddled up together nicely next to each other in the nest. Hopefully they will play nice. We need to get Scrambled bigger and ready because learning to fly is just around the corner.