Purple martin chicks, about 12 days old. Photographed as part of the routine nest check I do as a purple martin landlord. Dopey, Sneezy and Ed looking good! They're starting to develop little feathers, and you can see that they're starting to open their eyes.

This picture was taken just before their first nest change. The little guys took a break in a covered cardboard box lined with soft wood shavings while I tore out the old and nasty nesting material from their compartment, dusted the interior with diatomaceous earth to kill any parasitic mites, and added a fresh bedding of aspen shavings. They settled right in when I placed them back inside, and the adult birds carried on as if nothing had happened.