The arrival of chick eggs in the first grade classroom is a highly anticipated event, but once those cute little fluff balls have hatched they only get to stick around to delight their 6- and 7-year old caretakers for a few days. So, when the chicks left for their new farm home last Friday, it was a sad day for Anna. Spring is a season of much new life, though, and that very evening we noticed that the activity in the nest a mama robin had thoughtfully constructed above our deck had changed. Instead of just a mother bird, a shell and some tiny beaks were visible. The baby birds had hatched!
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| Our newly-hatched babies |
During this past week, we have seen mama come and go from her nest with a beak-full of lunch for the little ones. When our observations have been too close, she has alerted us from a nearby tree that we should back off. The nest is situated in the bend of a downspout just under the roof overhang, far from the reach of human or wildlife intruders. Unfortunately, a certain other creature has noted mom's comings and goings with interest: our ever-watchful Cleo. This same 68-pound canine wonder recently got herself stuck under the same deck while hot on the trail of a likely raccoon invader. The usual tension of the natural world had been set into motion.
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| Stuck Dog |
On the last day of school, I let out the dog first thing in the morning and noticed that the three babies had gotten
huge. How such bird-sized creatures fit in a small nest amazed me. I called the kids to look and Anna headed outside with Cleo to observe. Back inside, I was getting breakfast ready when a commotion was heard and the brown and white blur of an enthusiastic dog was observed out the back window. The small birds had attempted to take flight and Cleo gave chase. Outside I ran shouting my sternest, "Cleo, NO!" as she snuffled at something in the grass right in front of our swing set. After dragging a reluctant dog inside as nervous children looked on, I investigated a very still little bird. Back inside, I tried to explain that Cleo was not trying to be mean, but baby birds have to learn to fly fast or predators will be after them. Jamieson then went out to check on the bird and discovered that it was alive. So we left it alone and went about our before-school preparations when not 10 minutes later who should appear on the deck staring into the window, but a lively baby bird. Was it looking for its canine friend or giving all of us a defiant "nah-nah-nah-nah"?
What a saga for a beautiful May morning: the excitement of a baby birds leaving the nest on our last day of school, the sadness of a dog vs. bird showdown in front of the kids, and the joy of the bird surviving its first treacherous flight. As we watched, the baby bird on the deck turned and took flight again, soared across the yard, then crashed straight into the fence and fell into the shrubbery. Sigh. From the other side of the yard, Mama Bird zoomed down to tend her feckless flier and our breakfast resumed. Last day of school metaphor writ large: The babies may be ready to try new things, but they still need their mom close by.
