I've had what I refer to as a 'bird apartment' just about 3 meters or so just outside the east-southeast corner window where the storm guard is supposed to be slid shut, but about ten years ago when the maintenance professionals were installing new window storm guard equipment (upgrading) around this complex I ordered them to leave that single window and related parts alone and not upgrade it. I think there had been one year of a nest and baby birds and all that stuff and I wanted to leave it as is. Not even clean it out. It is a nicely sheltered location for the starlings. My daughter doesn't like starlings, by the way.
Anyway, I think the last baby left the nest this morning. The babies make some strange noise when they first leave the nest. Kind of like they want mommy/daddy to feed them. Mommy/Daddy won't; so the baby will learn to go over to that creek area and find its own food. Maybe.
One year I spent a whole day guarding a baby that left the nest, but then wouldn't fly properly and I was worried about cats. So I spent the whole day kind of guarding that little one and finally just about dusk it finally flew into some trees in the north garden.
I've been thinking about asking a university if they might want to take apart that storm guard and recover the nests, as they have been sort of piled up on each other and soon some decision will have to be made about finally cleaning that out.
One year there were two baby bird events in one season. Normally only one in spring.
Oh yes, and it was that which got me to learn one style of 'bird talk' although I have no clue what I am saying to them. But it is so funny to sometimes watch them looking around for the source of the noise. And starlings are really great at sounding dangerous if a crow starts to show any interest in this territory when the baby birds are just exiting that nest - "bird apartment".
Some twenty or so years ago at our home north of here I had to save a bird and we had one cat, so the baby bird had to be put in a cage we had. BUT I had a district meeting I had to attend down at Yokosuka and we'd already decided to make that a family thing, so we took the baby bird with us. Weird experience trying to buy some worms for it, but we did. But the amazing thing was the second morning after we had to cage that baby and we let it loose the mama or papa bird showed up right away with a worm. Or something. Quite an amazing experience. But I had to block off the road to traffic while that baby bird figured out how to fly properly and that caused some folks to be a tad upset at me. Had a young man give us a hand with that. Baby finally ended up on the hill next to our place, which was probably where it had originally come from. Quite an experience for my daughter to maybe learn something from. Not sure what, though. Can't remember why we had to help that baby bird. Maybe flew into the patio area and looked lost. Don't remember.
Sorry for a lengthy post.
One thing that is super special in Japan is if you get the chance to see a flying squirrel. You can hear them a lot. But almost never can see one. I had that chance one time when late getting back from a hike in the hills. They are really noisy, by the way.
