12 September 2007

Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles*

A few weeks ago while working in the yard (okay, so Chris was working and I was reading--details, details), we found an amalgamated mess of twigs and coconut husk in one of our hanging plants on the patio. Chris peeked into the planter and a bird flew out, hitting him in the glasses. I don't know who startled more, Chris, me, or the bird. We left the nest because, hey, we're not homewreckers.
Yesterday evening I was outside reading when the previously startled bird flew back to her nest chirping. Tiny, squeaky chirps answered her, and she dropped in the food she carried.
She's a mommy bird now!
I grabbed a cigar, slapped her on the back, and admired the newborns.
Then she flew to our fence, perched, and chirped, watching the planter. Was she off to find more food but wanted her young to know that all was well? Was she doing a security check, making sure I wasn't a danger? Was she trying to encourage them to come to her? Was she exhausted and exasperated and just needed a second alone, a woman can't even go to the bathroom without all the chickadees following?
Pam, I'll have to take a picture so that you can tell me what we have.

*Fifty points if you can tell me from where I pilfered the title.

7 comments:

Erin said...

Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles... from one one my favorite musicals! I'm humming it, but will rest in the knowledge that I know where it came from and let someone else get those fifty points. (Where do we redeem our points, anyhow?)

I was constantly startled by the birds living in various cubby holes in our yard in TX.

tonymyles said...

I love it when wildlife tames our life.

christianne said...

Cool story!

Ummm, is it Fiddler on the Roof?

Anonymous said...

I know the title - I'm singing the song right now - A little jewish tailor sings this song. (I won't say the name - give someone else a chance)


(now that I've written that, I hope I'm right).

Hope to see a picture of the bird. Seems late in the season to be having babies.

Pamela said...

You have a wide variety of birds in Texas that I may not know... BUT, I have my trusty Audubon bird book.... and I bet I'll get it figured out.

Looking forward to seeing the picture.

Heather said...

fifty points to christianne with honorable mentions to karmyn and erin.
redeem them? you mean just getting them isn't enough?

Real Live Preacher said...

Ooh, you're in for it now. The life of birds is a hard life indeed. God may know when each one falls to the ground, but the point is...they fall.

We did this a few years ago, when my oldest two were little. I was in the habit of buying live Christmas trees and planting them in my yard. I was going to make my own forest. I got three in the ground and a bird built a nest. We watched every day. Then one day the nest was on the ground, all the eggs broken, and the birds gone. Our theory is a cat found it.

Everyday life, but tragic.