Aren't they sweet? There are 4 little birdies in this nest, even though it looks like one bird and a pile of fluff. Every year I hang ferns from hooks on our front porch. And every year I see the beginnings of a nest forming in them. I just take the ferns down for a few days and place them on ground level, hoping the birds will build a nest in someone else's hanging basket! I was late this year, though, and when I went to water my ferns a few weeks ago there were 4 teeny blue eggs already in a nest. Of course, I wasn't about to disturb the precious eggs, and we've been keeping them safe ever since. (But, I gotta tell ya, it's killing me to NOT water this poor fern and see the ugly brown leaves hanging from my porch!)
We had a terrible, windy storm a week or so ago, and I knew the fern would get blown right off the hook, probably cracking all of the eggs. So, I crawled out of bed and went outside to put the plant (with nest inside) someplace safe. I hung it back up in the morning, and thankfully Mama Bird wasn't upset. She's been in there feeding the 4 little mouths and keeping them from harm's way.
Mario thinks they're his own personal pets, and asks to see them about 62 times a day. I can't get over how quickly they've grown. One of these days I'll open the front door to check on them, and they will have all flown away, leaving their little nest behind. I'll miss the little loves when they're gone.
For now, I'll keep an eye on these sweet birdies and hope they all survive.....and when they fly away, I'm heading straight to the nursery to get another fern!
OK, I KNOW this is a downer but my heart just is so heavy and I need comfort. Yesterday I am sitting at my computer and I hear "chirp, chirp" and look around to my kitchen window and see a baby bird with feather sticking ever such way looking into my kitchen window AT ME!! It hops over, mom (a robin!!) appears and the baby FLYS over to a branch!! So exciting! This morning on the way to church, there is a baby bird in my driveway and there is no happy ending. I was so sad all morning. I am so glad all of your babies flew away to happy endings. I am sorry but there were few people at home to share that story with.....sorry.........
Posted by: Debe | June 29, 2008 at 11:27 PM
Oh Andrea,
Thanks so much for sharing your story. How heart warming to know you have a love for nature and all the things in it.
Circle of Life as I am sad it wasn't all a happy ending. God knows what He's doing....
Hugs and Love, Amy (Mom to the Four Sisters and a New Cancer Survivor as of Feb 13, 2008)
Posted by: Amy Joy | June 29, 2008 at 11:57 PM
Andrea,
How wonderfully sweet of you to take such great care of Momma Bird & her eggs! I so hope they will all be just fine.
Theresa in OC, CA.
Posted by: Theresa Rodriguez | June 30, 2008 at 12:11 AM
Andrea,
How wonderfully sweet of you to take such great care of Momma Bird & her eggs! I so hope they will all be just fine.
Theresa in OC, CA.
Posted by: Theresa Rodriguez | June 30, 2008 at 12:12 AM
ooohh look how cute! We have one up on our back patio buried in my wisteria vine.... I love to watch them. When I go outside the parents start chirping this "alarm" signal to get me the heck out of there! lol
Posted by: Heather~ Pretty Petals | June 30, 2008 at 12:17 AM
What beautiful pictures of your bird pals!
Posted by: Cottage at Dove Canyon | June 30, 2008 at 01:13 AM
Everyday beauty comes from so many places, doesn't it?? Beautiful birdies (and I bet you'll miss that brown fern a bit ~ :) !!!! Love the story, thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Patrice | June 30, 2008 at 06:27 AM
Last summer a bird laid her eggs in the window box in my sons bedroom window. It was so exciting watching the progress and sad to wake up one morning and see them all gone! But I also understand what your saying about not being able to water!
Posted by: jennifer | June 30, 2008 at 07:50 AM
My son is is nursing 4 wild ducks. DH found them in a field abandoned. There were 8 to begin with but we are now down to 4. He keeps putting them in bigger containers. They are now in an old watering trough, equipped with hay and sod,,their own little pool and plenty to eat. We are waiting for them to grow so we can let them fly away. It is so much fun watching them.
Posted by: jill | June 30, 2008 at 08:03 AM
So lovely!!!!!
Your history is very sweet...
Ihope they will all fly!!!
and sing for all your family
kisses
POPI
Posted by: Paula | June 30, 2008 at 09:29 AM
ahh, they are so sweet! I think the fern is honorable to sacrifice for those sweet birdies!
have a great day,
xoxo, tiffany
Posted by: tiffany~shabbyscraps | June 30, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Oh Andrea, how delightful. We have a big covered porch too and the birds love to build nests in the corner where we have a sort of ledge. My husband hates it, which I don't really understand, but the kids and I delight in hearing the first little chirps and seeing the mama and dad twit about building and fluffing the nest and then feeding the babies. You are such a darling to have gotten out of bed at night during a storm to protect them!
Posted by: Holly Abston | June 30, 2008 at 11:45 AM
A robin built a nest under our deck (you could look directly into it from above) and had 2 batches of babies in one spring and early summer. One morning while putting on my makeup, I heard all this commotion of bird squawking and screaming and ran out to the yard to see my chihuahua chasing one of the babies. I scooped him up and the mother robin proceeded to lecture him from the fence, feathers standing up on her head! He understood her too...I felt slightly stressed out until all those birds were safely flying~*~*~
Posted by: Jill James | June 30, 2008 at 12:13 PM
How incredibley sweet and caring of you to take care of the wee ones in the middle of the night. I'm not surprised at all though - you have such a caring heart!
Karla
Posted by: Karla | June 30, 2008 at 01:02 PM
Such sweet birdies...and they have such a sweet "caretaker" in you:) Last spring, a momma robin laid eggs in a wreath on our front door. Of course, I watched over them and forbade any one from using that door! The day "our" four lil' robins flew away was bittersweet for me. And now I know what that empty-nest syndrome feels like.
Posted by: Leah C | June 30, 2008 at 01:39 PM
Andrea how sweet!!! I just love the photos of the precious birds....Isn't that something! And I love that you got out of bed because you were worried about the babies! Hope you and the familia are having a wonderful summer! Great post my dear - xo Sher
Posted by: Sher | June 30, 2008 at 07:04 PM
How sweet Andrea!!!
They are so cute. Thanks so much for sharing that story with us.
You can always get a new fern.
Rosemary
Posted by: Rosemary | June 30, 2008 at 07:05 PM
arent they so sweet....every year i have baby birds make a home in a various nook or cranney outside my front door,one year we couldnt even use the front door so as not to disturb our little family!
Posted by: stacy | June 30, 2008 at 09:41 PM
This brings back memories from years ago. When we sold our home in Williamsburg(bound for Key West) a Mother bird took up residence in our gas grill(we had the top down and she flew into a little hole on the side). She laid 4 little eggs and we didn't have the heart to disturb them so we left the grill on the back deck. As it was a brand new grill(we were afraid we couldn't find one in KW as there wasn't much shopping there) the new owners thought we had left them a house warming gift! Of course we accepted their heartfelt thank you's and never had the heart to ask about the little wren family!!
Posted by: danasmith | June 30, 2008 at 10:11 PM
Precious and breathtaking. Nothing else to be said for it.
Lisa & Alfie
Posted by: Lisa Wilson | June 30, 2008 at 10:11 PM
Don't you just love birds and nests ..Just something sweet about it! Your lucky to get so close to those cuties!
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea~vintagepaperbella | July 01, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Isn't nature grand. They know how to pick a great place to build.
Years ago I watched a doves nest, it was exciting to see them grow.
Ciao
Glenda
Posted by: Glenda | July 01, 2008 at 12:00 AM
What a lovely post! Amazing pictures too. I look forward to more :)
Karen at Ciderantiques
Posted by: Karen | July 03, 2008 at 08:23 AM
i dont care for birds that close up! my mom had the same problem with them nesting right in the center of her fern every summer. when these grow up and fly away you may want to put some foil right in the center of your fern so they will go a little further away next time.so kind of you to care so much for the helpless little things.
Posted by: priscilla | July 05, 2008 at 09:28 PM
What a wonderful heart you have! I love these stories that tug at my heart strings. Sadly there are so many people who don't take notice or stop to help animals in distress or needing some care. God will bless you for caring for His little ones.
Posted by: Laura | July 21, 2008 at 02:42 AM