Round Robin

Spring... Oh, what a magical time it is. I always feel a new energy and love for life as the days grow longer and warmer. It is like being awoken from a long sleep by the budding trees and chirping birds.  This particular spring has been absolutely gorgeous. Many, many perfectly sunny days with just the right amount of refreshing breeze.  Knowing that these lovely days are limited, we have been trying to take full advantage by having plenty of picnics and playground outings. Usually it feels like spring and fall are too short, almost skipped over, in this part of the country, and that is why this year has been an especially wonderful treat.  We are actually having a real, true spring. 

Another reason it has been particularly enjoyable to us is because a mother robin red-breast decided to build a nest right next-door to our house. No one is living there at the time, and we were lucky enough that she deemed this spot, above the outdoor light, a lovely place to lay her eggs.  I can't tell you how wonderful it has been to observe this busy mama bird; every step of the nesting process has been utterly fascinating and beautiful.

For the past month or so, it has been so exciting to step out the front door and notice the latest developments within the nest. We watched her working diligently on its construction, and then for days after, she was sitting there, keeping her eggs nice and warm.  Of course, when we first opened the door, she would fly to the closest wire and wait to return when she felt it was safe.  I often found myself talking to her out loud, telling her it's okay, we wouldn't hurt her or her nest. I think I even told her I loved her once or twice (I know that is a little bit wierd, but I sort of meant it and also wanted Victor to hear such positive words.) Many times, I would proudly point out the nest to total strangers walking by. She felt like my very own bird and I wanted to show her nest off. Most people thought it was amazing just like me, others just nodded, thinking I was a crazy lady.  

Finally and much to our delight, we saw the heads of three fuzzy chicks sticking straight up out of their nest, their beaks spread wide open. We witnessed the mother dutifully feeding them worm after worm after worm. (And I thought I had a hard job.) So quickly it seemed the babies grew and lost there fuzz. They started to look around, more interested in there surrounding, and there continued to be much more movement and shifting around, trying to get comfortable in such a small space. I knew it wouldn't be long before they would be ready to leave the nest and I sort of dreaded it. 

So, yesterday morning, while Ivan was taking his first nap, Vic and I were in my bedroom putting on our "day clothes" when I heard the mother bird sitting on the wire, inches away from our window, making this strange sound. The funny thing was that she was sitting there with a mouthful of worms, and I swear, (don't laugh) she was looking in the window at us and then back at her nest, making this almost panicked peeping noise, almost like she was trying to tell us something. I sensed that something was wrong so I threw on a house dress and poor Vic was only half dressed (no pants, just a shirt and undies) when I ran down the stairs to the front door.  As soon as I looked out, I saw one of the chicks on the step. It was shaking and just sitting there, looking so small and helpless; I felt like I had to come to its rescue. So, now my adrenaline was running and I hurried back inside to get out the step ladder and a paper towel. Before leaving the house again, I called an old lady, neighbor friend, who is a major animal lover to tell her the news. She came running out, encouraging me to go through with the rescue mission. Keep in mind, Vic was following me around, looking like a neglected child, amused by the whole event. After many failed attempts, I finally scooped the poor little thing up as gently as I could, shakily climbed up the ladder and placed it back in the nest, only to have scared the heck out of the other two birds and out they both popped. You should have heard the loud gasping sounds Miriam and I made. Once out of the nest, the baby birds were pretty quick on their feet and were able to fly just for a second but then they would fall back to the ground with a thud (more gasping). Well, like a bunch of idiots, my neighbor and I continued to chase them all around the block, stopping traffic a couple times to prevent them from getting run over. Several times more, we tried to put them back safely where they were hatched. But it was no use, they were out in the dangerous world of alley cats, evil teenagers, and fast cars. 

At one point, I heard Victor say, "Ewww...Mommy, look!" and he held up his finger with a little ball of bird poop on it.  He claims that one of the baby robins had pooped on him, but I suspect that he was picking some off the step under the nest. The crazy thing is that I sort of ignored him because I was so fixed on trying to be a savior when I should have just left well enough alone. After sadly giving up, we went back in and heard Ivan screaming in his crib. We quickly washed our hands and got him. After finally dressing, I then had to run around and get everything together to spend the day at my parent's house. Under my breath, I said "I should have been doing this while the baby was sleeping instead of interfering with nature."  Vic said, "Yeah, why did you do that?" I answered, "Because I was concerned about the birds," to which he replied "Well, I was concerned about the birds pooping on me."

Seriously though, I hadn't realized that I would become so attached to them, but now every time I look up at the empty nest, I feel a slight aching in my heart. I truly miss that mother robin and her sweet babies. Just like I will miss these sweet spring days while I am boiling in the heat of the summer.