A Happy Ending?

Photo credit: Jennifer Vander Klipp

So after my disappointment at the destruction of my baby robin nest, I had hoped to be able to watch the growth of baby cardinals outside my bathroom window.

We were getting ready for church and I heard a lot of chirping and squawking outside. The cats seemed quite interested, moving from window to window. I finished getting ready and then carefully lifted the window shade in the bathroom to check on the baby cardinals.

They were gone! The nest was empty. I scanned the ground and bush as best as I could from my vantage point, thinking maybe they had tried to fly. I have no idea how long it takes baby birds to be ready to do that.

Hurrying outside and around the back, I tried to see what I could find. The nest was empty, no baby birds in sight. I peered in the leaf litter under the bush. Maybe they fell out? I couldn’t see evidence of what had happened, but I kept looking, hoping to find something, anything.

Then I saw the slightest movement in the leaves. I took a stick and slowly started moving leaves around. Nothing turned up and I thought maybe it was just some creature or the wind.

Then I saw it. A bit of matted baby bird feather. I moved the leaves away and saw the baby on its back, beak open, looking like he (she?) was trying to squeak, but no sound came out. I wanted to put him (or her) back in the nest, but I was frankly a little too grossed out to touch him. I know, I’m such a girl. So I did what all good girls do and yelled for my husband. He came out and scooped the baby bird up with some leaves and laid him (or her) back in the nest.

We had to rush off to church, and I had no idea if the baby was injured or would survive or what had happened. There’s was nothing I could do about it anyway.

When we came back from church I hustled back to the nest before even going into the house. It was empty once again. Sigh. There must have been some predator in my backyard. Which would have explained the cats’ interest in what was going on outside earlier that morning. Turning to go back inside I saw a baby bird body already being attacked by insects. Yuck.

So. No happy ending this time. But I never would have had this kind of excitement back in my cubicle. The birds and their nests spurred me on to learn more about the creatures around me. And now I wonder what the change of seasons will bring.

Looking forward in eager anticipation…

A Second Chance?

So in my last post I shared how I loved watching momma robin build her nest. But I was frustrated by one thing: from my angle, I couldn’t see inside the nest. I didn’t know if she had laid her eggs, and if so, how many. My brave husband to the rescue! He climbed up on the roof to get a picture of the nest.

Three adorable little eggs. I couldn’t wait to see them hatch and watch the baby birds right outside my window.

Two days later I noticed Momma wasn’t on her nest. I waited and waited and she didn’t come back all day. Something was wrong. Remembering my research, I suspected something had gone wrong with the nest. And it had. I found crushed baby blue shells in the front lawn and in my planting bed.

I see the empty nest through the window every time I walk into my office. I was surprised how melancholy I felt about it. I had looked forward to seeing baby robins hatch, hearing their noisy squeals for food, and seeing Momma push them out of the nest. All of that was cut short.

It is the way of nature of course. In my research I discovered only 20% of robin eggs actually survive to maturity. I’m not going to make a glib comment about the circle of life or anything like that. The momma and daddy robin still remain in our yard, claiming it as part of their territory. I saw the daddy robin with a piece of twig in his beak, and I hoped that they had found a safer place to build another nest. Though I’m sorry I won’t be able to see it.

And then one morning it looked like I might have a second chance at watching baby birds hatch.

Our bathroom window swings out from the top when you open it, like an awning. I was cranking it open when I saw a flutter of a bird leaving the bush that sits under the window. I peered through the screen to see if there were more. And I saw this:

Three perfect little spotted eggs. I had no idea what kind of bird this was until a couple of days later. The momma would always fly off when I opened the window, but not too far. One time she was squatting on the lawn, and I could see the crest on her head that marked her as a cardinal.

This nest had the advantage of being at a better angle for viewing the eggs but the disadvantage of having the window scare Momma off every time we opened it. Since the weather was nice, we generally left it open. I didn’t want Momma to leave her nest for very long.

And in the same way that we were careful entering the room when the robin could see us, we had to be careful in the bathroom not to startle Momma cardinal.

One morning I walked into the bathroom and heard a faint squealing sound. Peering around the corner I saw this:

My hopes of seeing baby birds eat and grow and leave the nest looked like they would be realized. Or so I thought. (To be continued.)