Late last week, Big E spotted a couple of little hatchlings sprawled on the sidewalk during our bike to school. Thinking they were both already dead, I opted to continue the trek to school and deal with their little bodies on the way home when I wouldn't have an emotional nine year old girl shrieking and sobbing behind me. Instead, I rode blissfully home completely oblivious of any dead bird babies and callously didn't give them a second thought until that afternoon when on our ride home, we spotted ONE of the babies and it was most definitely alive, but most pitiful looking. KT fetched a rag and we boosted it back into it's nest, which was quite precariously tilted in the mountain laurel hanging over the sidewalk, susceptible to every tyke that runs or rides by. Mama bird apparently didn't excel at Nest Building Academy. Bubble Boy suggested a survival of the fittest tactic and said that a bird that can't build a decent nest probably shouldn't be allowed to contribute to the species and perpetuate more inadequate nest builders.
The next morning the darn birdie was back on the sidewalk. Big E was verklempt and I was able to scrounge a sock from the bottom of her backpack (don't ask me WHY there was a dirty sock in her backpack, but actually there were THREE) and gently hoisted baby birdie back into it's nest.
All seemed to be going well until this morning when we headed out for school only to see the whole damn nest upside down on the sidewalk. There was quite a little spring storm yesterday and apparently the hail and wind was too much for the already tippy nest and down the whole thing went. Darwin and Mother Nature won out.
In cheerier news, today a monarch hatched from it's chrysalis which has been perched on the puppy fence I recently acquired from a friend. Bubble Boy was lucky enough to take a few pictures, but I don't have access to them quite yet. Little A got to hold it and he said it squeezed him so hard, it hurt. You know how vicious monarchs can be. Big squeezers.
And so, you may be wondering just WHY I would have acquired a puppy fence from a friend and you'd be wrong if you assumed it was to keep my children confined during the summer months....however tempting that may be.
No, it has come into our possession for the very practical reason that we are finally getting a puppy. Our little Golden Retriever girl was born March 22 and will be joining the Bubbles NEXT WEEK. Here she is with her sister....she's the one on the left....or the right.
Cutie, no?
2 comments:
Oh GOOD GOSH!! Cutie!!
And I do believe every parent/neighbor on the street had their hands on those bird babies last week. I even saw neighbors withOUT children checking on the birds/nest. SOME were even doing Internet research ...
Mama Bird was probably off at the spa while we were wringing our unfeathered "hands."
That's a redline on the Cute Meter for SURE!
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