Spectacular Images of the Early Life of Baby Finches

I just came across the best chronicle detailing the early life of wild birds that I've ever seen.

A blogger, who calls himself Mr. Grass, found a nest of finch eggs in the rafters under his roof and installed a webcam to watch the baby birds as they hatched and grew. 

The live feed is long since over, but he put together a collection of images from the most important moments in the birds' lives on this page.  All of the action takes place over two weeks from May 27, 2008 to June 9, 2008.

Mr Grass goes into amazing detail, and supplements his webcam feed with high resolution images taken with a digital camera.  I found myself caring deeply for the little chicks and identifying with the struggles of their parents.  The saga takes a heart-wrenching turn, and the lives of all the birds are changed forever.

If nothing else, the story is a stark reminder just how unforgiving life in the wild can be.  Even when it's in your own backyard.

You can find more pictures and video of the house finches here.