Several weeks ago, shortly after the passing of my “Pal,” my Grandpa, we discovered what appeared to be a small bird’s nest nestled under the awning in the backyard. Assuming it was just a collection of twigs-in-progress, I gingerly climbed on top of a chair to peek inside, only to find three beautiful blue eggs, clearly from the likes of a robin.
No one was certain how long it had been there, though obviously enough time for the mama bird to lay these eggs. Not wanting to disturb the carefully orchestrated set-up, we left everything as it was and waited – from a safe distance – to see if the mother would return.
Well, return she did and, within a few days, a fourth egg appeared in the nest, as she guarded her stash, fleeing only briefly upon any human sightings.
Now, you may be wondering, what’s the big deal? It’s spring, ‘tis the season for the birds and the bees and all of nature to frolic and procreate. While this is true, it must be noted that, in the 55 years my grandparents resided in this house, there were most likely exactly zero nests successful built by any birds.
This was due to the fact that my Grandpa, lovable as he was, did not care for the messy remnants of twigs and leaves that the birds tended to leave while in the “construction” stage of things. At the first sign of a nest-in-progress, out would come the broom, sweeping all of their hard work away in one fell swoop.
But now, here they were – four, tiny, perfect Easter-looking eggs, ready to hatch at any moment with brand new life.
We kept a watchful eye on them for weeks, until one day, out popped a baby, all pink and naked, flopped on the other three eggs, which were now showing signs of beginning to crack as well. A few days later, four fuzzy little hatchlings resided in the nest, napping in a pile of soft, pulsating fur, eyes not quite open, occasionally opening their beaks in case food happened to be lurking nearby.
As of this writing, the four are still happily cohabitating, the fuzz gradually beginning to be filled in with soft gray feathers, the eyes fully open and alert, the beaks ready and waiting for mama’s next meal delivery. According to most references, it may be as little as a week before these little chicks are ready to fly off on their own.
And such is the circle of life… How wonderful to be able to witness it right in Grandma and Grandpa’s backyard, especially at this time. There are those who believe in signs – for those, I don’t think you could ask for a clearer indication that this special delivery was intended just for us, right here, right now.
Published: May 18, 2016