My birds are gone (but the trees are full)

[baby_bear]

I love birds but know nothing about them. In late June two house finches (took me awhile to identify them) started building a nest in my FAKE hanging plant right outside my sliding glass door, where I work on my computer. I was working at home Monday and Tuesday while the nest was built inside the basket, around the plastic plant which is quite "bushy" and it's is hung way over my head so I couldn't see in it. However, I was concerned about it not being very steady, so I went out while the birds were gone and threaded fishing line from the bottom in two directions to secure the basket to the house wall and the garden fence, respectively, like spring lines on a boat or guy wires on a tent.

Mom stayed put after that and laid her eggs; only two, apparently. Dad, who is so pretty with red crest and breast, came around regularly and announced himself by sitting on the top of my 5 foot tall fake tree about 4 feet away from the fake plant. (I'm sorry - I am just hell on plants but even these are ugly to me. I was just so happy to have this family take to them.)

Once the eggs hatched, which was about 3 weeks instead of the two that I thought, Dad became very scolding of me and me 16 year old cat, who would sit on the porch bench and watch the action. Dad would balance on the guy wire right up to the sliding glass door, which I would leave open, and scold me too. Pretty soon I realized Mom wasn't there anymore. But Dad was coming around frequently to feed the babies. I could hear the cheep cheeps when he fed them and he would fly away immediately after. But he stayed close.

One day, shortly after the babies were hatched I believe, but before I could hear them cheeping, three big hawks flew together - together - over my condo complex and took up independent spots on the roofs of the condos aross the driveway from my porch. It seemed to me that they smelled blood, or little birds anyway. It was awesome. I have lived here 12 years and have never seen hawks land. (I live next to a greenbelt in the Pacific Northwest so there are lots of birds, but this was unusual.) I happened to be working at my computer and just saw this happen. So I went out on the porch and stood under the nest/hanging basket where the chicks were, and just stood there. After about five or ten minutes the hawks flew away. I was feeling motherly by now

At any rate, the babies became fledglings and did fly away. It was quite dramatic, and I saw both happen. The first one took several hours. Dad sat on the fake tree chirping chirping chirping at what must have been the elder baby. The little guy got up on the edge of the nest so I could clearly see him. He kept flapping his wings within the plant; I could hear it sitting here at my computer. At about 3 pm on Sunday the fledgling just flapped out and started flying, perfectly, and Dad immediately joined him (or her) and they flew to a huge tree about 50 feet away.

Now there was one.

I was very anxious. What would happen to this baby? Where the heck did mother go anyway? This was probably her second clutch so would she have left to start another? Did a nasty crow get her? Was she just tired of her maternal duties? I will never know.

I worked at my computer and watched anxiously for Dad to come back. I got on a ladder and looked into the nest. The little guy was perched on the edge but he wasn't flapping a whole lot. Finally, at 6 pm, Dad appeared on a tree across the drive, about 25 feet away, with his singular chirp. He was telling the little guy to fly away. I got on my ladder with my camera to take a photo of him and just as I got up there, POOOF, he flew out right in front of my face, just inches away, and Dad joined him in flying to the same tree that his sibling has flown to three hours before.

Now my fake plant is empty, as is my fake tree, but I'm glad that those ugly things nurtured a beautiful family.

I sure miss those birds.

b_b

[ArchTeryx]

1. What a nice story!

I always appreciate hearing about otherwise common birds that provide their own brand of magic.

Around my campus workplace, it's goldfinches and chipping sparrows. Both are having bumper crops this year; I have yet to hear a confirmed goldfinch fledgling, but the chipping sparrows are all over the place. They're on the tail end of their second nesting cycle now.

And man, it's always fun to see the goldfinches and chipping sparrows tell the house sparrows just who their daddy is. :)

[baby_bear]

2. thanks

I hardly know any of the bird jargon. I have two cuties who visit the bus on the east side of my condo. They are tiny but are black with white marks on their face. There are always two but they look alike. Isnt that unusual? They are gorgeous.

thanks
b_b