Wing-fluttering today

At 12 to 13 days old, the blue of Sammy's feathers is more vibrant and richer, especially on the bottom part of his wings at the front, the primaries I think they're called.  I am almost positive now that he is a male.  His breast and stomach are almost totally covered in feathers now, with beautiful soft, white spots surrounding by a warm rusty-brown.  He still is fairly bald under his rump though.

He is very alert and watches my movements often.  When Sammy sees my hand, he crawls/hops into it all on his own..is he looking for comfort or safety or just to feel snug I wonder?  My heart says he's looking for a cuddle with his mama (me lol), but my head says he's probably just trying to feel safe and secure, and for him, that means in my hand.  But, I'm going to go with my heart.

He also hopped/crawled into my grand-daughter Tenley's hand today and she held him so tenderfully in her cupped little hands.  She is an animal and nature lover and is a very gentle soul. He seemed perfectly content nestled in her hands...he must have know he was safe with her.

A couple of times today, while on my hand, he clung to my finger with his little claws and perched there. He was very steady with a strong grip. A first!!

Sammy is still eating heartily even though he still won't gape on his own.  It doesn't take a lot of prying, but I wish he would just open his beak on his own.  He is still being fed every 30-35 minutes about 1/2 tsp of nestling food.  I weighed him today and he is a hearty 28-30g, right where he should be.

His wings are developing beautifully, they are getting longer and more open every day. This afternoon, he started fluttering them when he was out of his nest for feedings.  Another first for Sammy today! What a proud mama I was watching him do these two new things.  It's been an amazing and heartwarming experience watching him grow and develop each day.

What a difference a day can make!