Fly Fly Away

I just love it when we find a bird’s nest, like this time last year.  But last year the nest was very accessible, even Jack could peek into it whenever he wanted to, and the polite Mama Bird obliged by flying away and leaving her babies alone for any photo opportunities we wanted. 

This nest, however, was buried deep inside one of my Knockout Rose bushes.  I only discovered it after the babies hatched and then only because I went out to snip some flowers for a vase.  Mama flew out at me and sat nearby screeching at me in a tone that could only mean, “You toucha my babies, I crappa on you head!”  So of course I had to dig around inside that bush until I found them.

It’s hard to tell but there are two of them in there.

Here’s Mama sitting nearby giving me the evil eye.  Does anyone know what kind of bird this is?

That is one EVIL eye.  She seriously scared me.

I took some photos, but not too many because the Mama (and Daddy, I soon discovered) were very protective of these babies.  Whenever I tried to take pictures, they would both fly around the fence posts/tree limbs/garden stakes near me screeching incessantly. 

See?

Ha!  No stinking mafia bird is going to scare me!  I got plenty of pictures, PLENTY!

Eventually one afternoon, I came to check on the twins, and one of them had flown the coop! 

The remaining one was such a good wittle bird.

But a few days later, Mama and Daddy must have talked him into it.  Because when I came out to take a picture, Mama and Daddy actually buzzed my head, I kid you not.  And when I found the empty nest, and then eventually found Junior on an inside branch, I figured out that they were both attending his inaugural flight and I was the enemy come to ruin it all.  They screeched at me and flew near me until I left.  I tried to take pictures from the porch, because whenever I came too close they’d get their feather panties all in a bunch again.

Do you see one parent on the bush, and one on the fencepost?

They seriously scared me.

Sweet little thing.

I checked on the little fella several times through the day and he was always still there.  I think there may have been a little chicken in his family tree somewhere.  But the next day he was gone. 

No more screeching, no more frantic, overprotective, helicopter parents.  No more sweet baby bird to spy on.

I hope he and his brother are okay out there.