Oh, There They Are!

One particular geranium in a hanging basket on our deck has been a favorite nesting place for birds. Or perhaps it's just one bird who keeps coming back to her familiar home. But the plant had been deserted for a couple months since March, and then late May (I think) I noticed we had another bird, nesting comfortably in my plant. So day after day, I would check out my kitchen window and watch for signs of baby birds. Finally, it happened. There they were, two baby birds. I've enjoyed watching them, seeing them grow and grow, as the mama bird tended to their every need. Really so sweet.




This past weekend, during the morning hours, we were outside and the kids were playing and I noticed the mother bird really giving us the stare. And then later that day I took some pictures of the two birds out of my kitchen window. They weren't great photos due to the extent I had to zoom in, plus the spotty window (it's really in desperate need of a good Windexing). And of course, I also could not use the flash since it would reflect off the glass. At the time, the mother bird was away. In fact, she'd been away for quite some time and I was actually worried something might have happened to her. But thankfully, as it was getting dark, I noticed she had returned. So this time, I stepped out onto the deck and I held my camera up high and snapped a few pictures with the flash on. All three birds looked shocked, with their little eyes just bulging out. I was worried I'd frightened them, though I really tried hard to keep my distance. It was probably the camera flash that did it. The next day, I noticed that all three birds were gone. I was surprised and quite saddened by my discovery. I so enjoyed watching them each day and I just knew I'd scared them all away. I figured the mama bird had spent that previous evening searching out a new home for her and her babies, where there weren't any scary people spying on them and intruding on their space.




I've thought often about our little bird family the past two days. And then this morning, as I was doing some chores about my room, I saw out my bedroom window the mama bird and her two little birds in my back flower bed. There they were! And though the mama bird briefly flew off, she only went as far as the fence and continued to watch over her young as they ran about the flower bed. I can only guess that they've created a place amongst the bushes, though this seems unusual. Or perhaps they have a nest in one of my trees and are just searching the flowerbed for food. I do believe that their leaving had nothing to do with my scaring them away. Perhaps they outgrew the geranium - a highly likely possibility as the babies were getting fairly large and my pot isn't all that big. Whatever their reason for leaving their original home, it's refreshing to know that they are all okay and are still living somewhere in my backyard!