Well, just like that, the nest is empty. The little birdies flew their nest, well sort of. A couple of weeks after the start of spring I had realized a bird was building a nest in my small bathroom window between the screen and the glass pane. There had been a small hole that I’d been meaning to patch up in the screen, but like many things, just hadn’t got to it.
For days there were two birds, what I suppose to be the male and female. They were flying in and out of the window bringing small twigs and various grasses with them. They were carefully crafting what appeared to be a mess in my window. Needless to say, the little hole got a lot bigger. I really wanted to film what was going on, but unfortunately our bathroom window is made of somewhat beveled glass, so I couldn’t see very clearly. I didn’t want to disturb them from the outside either. I thought it best to let them be, lest I thwart some natural plan of nature.
My newest rule of the house was, “Don’t open the bathroom window!” The thought of nailing it shut ran across my mind, just in case anyone forgot the rule. The window is right above the toilet, so of course another thought I had was one of baby chicks falling into it and drowning. To my satisfaction the nest remained undistrubed for the most part.
They Hatched!
Every morning during my usual routine I would glance at the window to see if anything new was going on. Usually, nothing much. Then one grand morning while brushing my teeth, I was met with lots of high pitched chirping. I knew that could only mean one thing. They hatched! Mom’s presence with food had them all very excited.
*Picture of egg is for example only, not the actual egg.
For the next few weeks I continued to catch glimpses of mama and papa bird coming in and out of the nest tending to their new bundles. I tried a few times to sit outside and watch them. I hoped to perhaps get a camera shot of them, but wasn’t very successful. These birds were quite quick. This bird watching stuff takes time and patience. I had the patience for it, just not the time.
Taking care of a family of ten is a lot of work on a normal basis, but I was unusually busy when a bout of sickness hit our home. Part of March, all of April and into the first part of May, there was always at least one to two people ill in our home to care for. After one would recover, another was found with fever. This was a rare occurrence in our home and quite unwelcomed.
Thankfully we’ve had beautiful weather this spring. This enabled us to get outside from time to time and absorb plenty of vitamin D while also observing all God’s little creatures that we share this bit of land with. We’ve had our share of challenges this spring, but somehow things like watching baby birds grow helped make life more peaceful despite circumstances. Nature is definitely a great destresser for me.
Leaving the Nest
Well, life went on as usual, kind of. We still had sickness in the home, this had to be the longest I have ever cared for ill people. One morning when everyone was still sleeping (except for my baby girl), I went to the bathroom to discover a lot of commotion in the window. There was loud chirping and what appeared now to be several birds in the window. At first I didn’t believe that some of them were the baby birds, they were so big! How did they stay so hidden for so long?
Through the beveled glass I could make out that they were being fed, but this time they were so close to the edge of the window. I was scared one of them was going to fall out. My first thought was that the parents had chosen a nest much too small for all of them. They would surely fall out of it. I don’t get hyped up about much, but I was pretty nervous about this new developement. I decided to sneak outside to see if I could get a better look at what was going on.
With my 1 year old in tow riding along on my hip, I snuck into the back yard. I knelt down against a tree a decent distance from the window. I was not prepared for what I would see. Could it be? The baby birds were already getting ready to leave their nest?? It seemed like just yesterday when they hatched. Surely it was much too soon, what would become of them? I saw what appeared to be one of the parents fly out and then right before my eyes the first little birdie got close to the edge and jumped off! It didn’t appear to be the strongest flier, but it made it out.
One by one as the birds left, I had wished I had my camera. If I left now though, I would miss their grand exit. As the last bird got closer to the edge of the window seal, it seemed uncertain. It started to go back some and then came out again, eventually leaving. A sadness came over me, this was their home, the only home they ever knew. Would they be together again?
Well, they didn’t go far, they were now all on my concrete patio. From what I could tell they were all near each other. I went in my house to get my camera. For the last several weeks I barely paid much attention to that nest, but now somehow it was all I could think about. Nothing seemed more important at that moment. I went back outside and captured some of my first clear images of these little birds that had graced my bathroom window all those weeks.
On their Own
They were now on their own. I wasn’t sure if this was temporary, perhaps this was a test flight. They weren’t very good at it, so maybe they would go back and try again later. After finally being able to identify the bird I was able to do a little research. I discovered that these guys are not known to be strong fliers. I couldn’t stop watching these helpless little birds. When going back into the house, I saw what appeared to be the mommy bird searching the nest and chirping loudly. Surely she knew they were gone, is she just making sure they made it out? For some reason my heart hurt. Are my children outgrowing their nest?
My husband was awake now and I let him in on what had been happening. I told him how sad it was that the mommy and daddy birds may never see them again and all my concerns about their survival. He seemed a bit amused by my rush of emotions and then went on to say that he was happy for the parents. He said now they won’t have to work so hard all the time coming in and out of there. Interesting as his perspective was, we were clearly on two different trains of thought.
He couldn’t resist of course coming outside to see the chicks, we tried to keep our distance. However, one clumsy chick fell into our basement window well that had stairs in front of it and already needed rescued. So he moved the heavy stairs and saved the little guy or girl. Some of them wandered off into a large colony of Hostas we have by our house where snakes often frequent. At one point, I saw one fly quite well over to a low tree branch and then back to his siblings. A bit of hope rose up in me. I watched, I rooted them on, I worried, and then I slowly had to let go, return to my nest and embrace the work that was now all around me. Everyone was now waking up and demands were increasing.
I still worried and kept checking out the windows that morning, hopeful that they were all doing well. Soon as the day went on, I no longer saw the chicks. However, I was sure I could still hear some chirping of some Carolina Wrens in the backyard. That night the thought of those birdies entered my mind again. Would they be ok? I couldn’t stand the thought of their first night being spent somewhere alone and helpless. I told myself they probably stuck together and are resting somewhere safe and sound.
Will they Make it?
Well, though I did study psyhcology in college, I didn’t need any special insight to realize this whole unexpected experience was reminding of my children. We are blessed to have eight beautiful, amazing kids. That’s a lot of chicks in the nest! Of course, not all of them are kids anymore. Some are becoming young men and our oldest daughter is a young lady now pursing a college degree. However, we are blessed to have them all currently with us in our nest.
Sure, it might get crowded at times, especially when everyone wants to get into the refrigerator at the same time, or brush their teeth at the same time, but we’re together. Last year our daughter joined a study program out of state for almost a year. Dropping her off and leaving her was probably one of our hardest parenting moments we’ve had so far. She was sad, we were sad (though we tried not to show it), but more than that, I was excited for her new adventure.
Any of you parents out there who have raised children can probably attest to the array of mixed emotions you can feel, and the endless thoughts that can plague you when one of your own leaves the nest. I remember thinking, did I prepare her enough? Did I teach her everything she needs to know? Even though we know in the back of our minds that all of our children will someday leave, in some weird way it always seems suddenly. Of course I’m thankful it’s not quite as sudden as in the case of birds. I’m also thankful they’re not little fuzzy, helpless beings with animal predators lurking all around when they leave. My husband says they have a short life span, so they have to do things faster. He has a valid point I suppose.
My family will tell you that I’m not one to express my emotions a lot, that morning however, I seemed to express them through the little bird family. Life is incredible. We’re not all so different. The natural instincts that many animals have, we should have them too. Nature is real, it’s beautiful, amusing and sometimes perplexing. Some say it’s beacuse of evolution that we are like other creatures, I say it’s because we all were created by the same Artist and you can see some of Him in everything He creates.
Where are They Now?
Well, I have no idea where the birds went. Of course, that’s how these things typically go. Many animals don’t see each other much or ever again after they leave their parents. We humans are quite different in that respect. It’s good to know that when my birdies leave our nest we will still know them and hopefully be able to see them often.
I know it was imperative that the baby chicks leave their nest. The cycle of life must continue. For them, the adventure has just begun. It’s an exciting time, but it doesn’t mean it’s not hard too (at least in the mind of the human observer). I now have another nest I’m watching. A couple more love birds (pun intended) have built a nest in one of my hanging flower baskets on my front porch. One nest is empty, another is full. The cycle of life continues. Hope you are enjoying your spring.
Til next time……..
Check out these cool bird feeders and houses from Amazon:
Easy to use Window Bird Feeder
Large Bird House and Feeder with Viewing Window
Beetle and Bee Build a Bee Bungalow DIY Kid Art Craft
Check out some of our most recent blog posts below:
1 thought on “The Nest is Empty”