Muddled Melon!

Remember Melon? She was abandoned by her mother - Snowpea - at an early age, but refused to completely leave her, and ended up co-parenting Snowpea's next hatch of eight (who all survived). This time, Melon was sitting on her own 10 eggs. We had high hopes for her, as Snowpea is our best mother, and we thought Melon might have learned all the tricks for successfully raising a family. Mmm...
It seems that once her first chick hatched, Melon got over-excited. I found 6 eggs rolled out of the nest (unhatched) and three left in the nest (unhatched), and Melon happily finding food for one single, solitary chick...
Sigh.
Now things get complicated.
We have:
One baby from Spock
Three babies from Blork
One baby from Melon

Melon's single chick...an only child

Spock's chick decided that, despite her disinterest, he wasn't ready to leave home, and determinedly followed her around for a week or two, snuggling up beside her at night, and generally keeping her company. He would give the plaintive cheep of a lost chick, and she would never respond, but he seemed to find her anyway.

Melon's chick - with foster-brother (or sister)!

Blork's babies were also lonely, and cheeping - and ignored by Blork. However, as the age difference wasn't so great - maybe a week - they quickly discovered that Melon was a much more attentive mother - and they have joined her and her single chick! We were worried that they might attack their younger foster-sibling...but they don't. In fact, they seem to have encouraged it to mature faster - given that it has to compete for food - it's become very speedy and confident, and sleeps at night huddled up with Melon and the three others - who are too big to get under her wings - although they did try at first...
Now they are pretty much independent, with Melon mostly ignoring them - and it is the foster-family who come running when the little one squeaks for company.
Life in the garden is never simple with these birds!