Tiny cootlings!

Well, here they are: the two new cootlings I mentioned yesterday.

One in particular (the one in the middle of this picture) seems to be particularly gifted on the "being cute" front: it doesn't just tip its head to beg for food, but tips its head AND lifts up its tiny wings! It is almost too cute; I had to sit down...

They are tiny; smaller than any others I've seen out of a nest: cootlings' colourful tufts seem just to reduce gradually as they mature, and these ones are positively maned. They even have little yellow tufts on the tips of their winglets. I'm tempted to call these ones cootlinglets.

There is another cootling on the little pond on Wandsworth Common: it has no siblings, but seems to be getting on pretty well. It is quite a bit older (possibly a couple of weeks ahead of these two?) but still quite little and tufty. It has already reached the shrieking stage...

This picture would greatly benefit from being seen in "large": I am going to become a full member very soon, and will link back to this one on the day that I do!