When Baby Birds Spread Their Tiny Wings and Fly
When baby birds spread their tiny wings and fly
It was the end of March. We had a pleasant day, and I got to scurrying around a bit trying to tidy my outdoor living space. If you follow me around for long, you will find I have a few peaceful spots here, and depending on the weather, I select my post sink-time quiet time location from those places. I was so ready to add my back porch to the list again. As I worked, out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird zipping in and out of a spot behind some decor on a shelf. I thought nothing of it and continued moving furniture and sweeping. When I got ready to go in, I happened to glance to my right and saw a haphazard collection of straw and small sticks and realized the bird was a future mama preparing a home for her family. I didn’t bother the hodge-podge and went inside immediately telling the boys we had a visitor putting in a lot of work and not to bother her.
It wasn’t but a day or two later that I looked again and saw that the robin had crafted quite a nice little nest for herself. I will admit I was in awe of her skill and speed. I knew it wouldn’t be long until I’d be seeing a whole lot more of her. In quick form, Mama started popping in and out of the nest with some regularity. Any time we ventured in or out of the backdoor, she flew off to a neighboring tree.
From a distance, I often watched her zoom back to the nest in quick fashion. I am no ornithologist, but some common sense and the experience of being dive-bombed by an angry bird mom once made me remind the kids to keep their distance and make sure our nosey dog did as well. As Mama’s girth widened, I even told the kids to give her a little space, and we many times went out different doors just to save her the hassle of having to leave her home. I often greeted her just checking in, and she became accustomed to our being nearby. We didn’t get too close. It was no Baby Einstein moment that let us know there were eggs in the nest. Mama stayed in the nest most of the day, and I knew we’d have some extra chirping soon. The process moved along quickly. Before we knew it, there was a mound of fluff centered in the tiny home, and day by day, the fluff took more form.
Eventually, we saw more definition, and little heads with eyes sealed shut popped above the edge of the nest. Mama left to collect necessities and returned to her babies quickly. She worked to keep them fed and warm. At different points throughout the day and night she covered them with her wings to protect them from the elements. I told her more than once she was a good mama and was doing a great job, and I left some food nearby to try to help her out a bit. The babies grew so fast. In just a matter of days, Mama had four mini-mes in the nest. Things were pretty crowded, but they made it work. Even with the maturing of the babies’ bodies, Mama found a way to spread herself out to cover them during the cold times of the day and overnight. She had to work harder to bring food in because the needs became greater and greater, but she never went far.
It was quite the exciting moment when one of my boys rushed in the backdoor and told me the babies were out of the nest! It was exciting to see their growth but a little sad, too, as we knew our visitors would be on their way to start their adult lives soon. Literally, just a couple hours after they jumped out of the nest, I saw the not-so-baby birds fly from the shelf into the grass beside my patio. Mama watched from a branch just above…she knew her job wasn’t quite over, but her kids needed to experience some things for themselves. In no time, those babies wouldn’t be babies anymore and would be able to provide for themselves and fly where they needed to fly. Mama indeed was finishing her parenting moment just like she was supposed to. I felt a warm sense of pride take over my heart for her, and then it hit…and the tears began to fall.
My kids are at the edge of the shelf. Now my circumstance is a little different as I have one who might stay on the shelf, but he is out of the nest. My other one is wobbling on the edge and flapping his wings a bit. I’m watching from a branch nearby and flying in from time to time just to remind them I’m here. Mama-ing from the edge is a lot harder than being able to sit on little ones and having more control of their existence. Every mama has to succumb to the flow of nature at some point though. God has created such an amazing circle of life, and while it was kind of emotional to absorb, I’m thankful I slowed down enough to be more observant and appreciate the process with our little visitors.
My mama heart wants fluff my feathers a little bit and try to keep my guys close, and while I am hopeful our bond will stay close, I am reminded of something my younger son told me about a week ago: “Mom, you’ve done a good job with us. You’ve raised us right. It’s time for you to let us prove that and let you see your work come to fruition.” Yep. That was heavy stuff. Typing the words was even hard. What mom couldn’t hear that and be proud though?
You know our home is a little different than most. The light part of that discussion came when the older kid texted from his bedroom and said, “Mom, he’s right about that.” Wow. They may drive be bonkers, but, oh, my gracious, I love my babies. …and now I’m sobbing again, tearing paper towels as quickly as I can to capture tears and snot, and trying to wrap up my thoughts…and my coffee got cold…oops… Guess I will just make another one and finish feeling this moment at the sink… Happy Mother’s Day to you… …until next time…
