This is the story of the birdies, from my point of view.
Daily I sit on the porch, and watch the birdies fly in and out of the trees, pecking on the ground and going about their merry way. The past few weeks have been great to watch their little lives ,but now i am left wanting. The nest that is 5 feet away from the front door is now empty.
I first noticed it was there when i saw a little egg that had fallen from above, down to its end- broken. I look up and lo and behold there is a finch nest nestled in a rolled up sun blocker. I thought nothing of it, but would check to see if there was any life inside every once in a while. A few weeks later i looked up at the nest and wondered if the little eggs had hatched yet. I sat there reading my book and all of the sudden the momma bird swooped in and landed on her perch just outside the nest. To my amazement she was feeding 5 little baby birdies with her own beak. I could see all the little starving mouths wide open,just waiting for there turn.
The mom and dad would take turns several times a day to come and do their duty to their children. I would sit and watch in awe at the beauty of what i was witnessing, one does not see that often. Once the birds grew a little older, one would come out of the nest and sit on top of its home, occasionally flapping its little wings, eager to fly away and see the world. It was a comfort to me to know that i was not alone on the porch, but had little feathered friends growing up.
One day it rained really hard and I couldn't help but think about the birds and how they were faring with the storm. The next day i looked up and saw no sign of them, no parent birds coming to feed their young, no little baby squeaks, just silence.
The nest is empty now, and i am so happy that the birds are flying and living bird life, but i cant help but feel a little sadness. I have the empty nest syndrome. But i am understanding it in a whole new light. Its a feeling of no control, hope for the best, make due with what is left, begin again.
The birds who, I'm sure, payed no attention to my life have just made the most profound difference in mine.
Daily I sit on the porch, and watch the birdies fly in and out of the trees, pecking on the ground and going about their merry way. The past few weeks have been great to watch their little lives ,but now i am left wanting. The nest that is 5 feet away from the front door is now empty.
I first noticed it was there when i saw a little egg that had fallen from above, down to its end- broken. I look up and lo and behold there is a finch nest nestled in a rolled up sun blocker. I thought nothing of it, but would check to see if there was any life inside every once in a while. A few weeks later i looked up at the nest and wondered if the little eggs had hatched yet. I sat there reading my book and all of the sudden the momma bird swooped in and landed on her perch just outside the nest. To my amazement she was feeding 5 little baby birdies with her own beak. I could see all the little starving mouths wide open,just waiting for there turn.
The mom and dad would take turns several times a day to come and do their duty to their children. I would sit and watch in awe at the beauty of what i was witnessing, one does not see that often. Once the birds grew a little older, one would come out of the nest and sit on top of its home, occasionally flapping its little wings, eager to fly away and see the world. It was a comfort to me to know that i was not alone on the porch, but had little feathered friends growing up.
One day it rained really hard and I couldn't help but think about the birds and how they were faring with the storm. The next day i looked up and saw no sign of them, no parent birds coming to feed their young, no little baby squeaks, just silence.
The nest is empty now, and i am so happy that the birds are flying and living bird life, but i cant help but feel a little sadness. I have the empty nest syndrome. But i am understanding it in a whole new light. Its a feeling of no control, hope for the best, make due with what is left, begin again.
The birds who, I'm sure, payed no attention to my life have just made the most profound difference in mine.
I have been fortunate in that a few years a go, a group of sparrow fledglings were all sat on the old tree and it was such a great sight watching them flutter around then land very heavily and awkwardly on the tree again and then their parents would appear and feed them and then fly from the tree to the fence and start chirruping to the young encouraging them to follow suit.
We also have a blackbird who most years has some youngsters who amazingly she casually walks through the garden with her young, right past our feet and then feeds them, its like she knows we wont harm them.
I'm sure you'll have more birds soon, busy collecting twigs, leaves, feathers etc to make another nest, our housemartins come back to the same nest every year x