Townsend's Solitaire nest

This nest was located along a private road going to a friend's house. She had noticed the adults flying in and out and was able to observe the eggs and then the young. Apparently it is normal for these birds to nest on the ground with grass covering the site. Normally there would be a better grass cover than this one had.

A few days after I saw it she said the young were gone. With a little research online she learned fledging by 14 days is usual. By that time they are capable of sustained flight. They can leave by 8 days and will move quickly away from the nest site... on the ground emitting a Szhree call to allow the parents to find them and to feed them. The parents divide up and feed different chicks because the chicks head in all different directions - fast. If disturbed they will leave the nest early.