We always have a wreath hanging on our front door. It changes from Spring/Summer to Fall/Christmas but one is always there. This Spring a bird built a nest on the top of the wreath on our front door. She had four little white eggs with black speckles on one end. I'd check the nest every day when I'd leave for work and every evening when I'd come home.
Earlier this week three of the eggs hatched. At first I did not realize what it was as it looked like the bird had just shed some fuzz on top of the eggs. But a day or two later I realized there were baby birds in the nest.
A couple of evenings ago I came home and was unlocking the front door when I saw this, little, fuzzy head come up over the top of the nest with it's beak wide open. I guess it thought mama was home with food. I just went on in the house so mama bird would feel safe to come back.
Next morning when I went to work I looked at the nest and it was empty except for one un-hatched egg. I was devastated. Something had gotten my birds during the night. It amazes me just how pissed I was at that. It is a part of nature and baby birds get eaten all the time by snakes, cats and hawks. But this was personal. These were MY birds.
Now there is just an empty nest with one un-hatched eggs there. I do not believe that last egg will ever hatch. In fact I've not seen mama bird around since the disappearance of the babies. Makes me wonder if mama bird really understands about her babies being gone. What does instinct guide her to do when she flies home to an empty nest? Does she keep coming back hoping they will magically reappear? Does she just move on to her own life?
I think next Spring I will hang one or more bird houses where the birds can nest in a more protected site. Maybe even a bird feeder so they can have food without foraging so far away from their young. And heaven help the critter I find around my birds because they will get no mercy from me.
:(
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