The Bairns

Or to be more accurate, Oor Trev's bairns.

From the 11 eggs that Trev blipped back on the 10th May, these 6 fledglings have hatched and now seem near to leaving the Oor Trev constructed nesting box (up in the trees in the background here) any day now. Although it might look like one of those photos that proud parents-to-be produce after an ultrasonic scan, you can make out three, possibly four hungry bird's heads.

The parents are on a constant hunt for food and the noise these tiny things make when one of them returns with a bug is something else. Me and Grangemouth's own Bill Oddie sat and watched them for a bit and it was amazing to see and hear all this frantic activity going on. At one point one of the young took off inside the box and had a little practice flight above it's siblings; a sure sign that they'll be off on their own soon.

I tried sneaking out to get a shot of the adults flying in and out but they were just too fast. That, and the fact that one of the parents was loudly trying to warn me away from the nest, meant that I headed back into the greenhouse to watch them on the telly instead.

Thanks Trev, for letting me see how your wee ones are getting on, and for setting this up in the first place. I bet you there's not many workplaces where you can escape from your desk and get right up close with nature like this. Just brilliant.