The Robins - empty nest today

My daughter Nichole at work with her new business - porta potties. She and Ned are now the proud owners of 350 porta potties. This is her in action. They are already finding out it is a lot of work. I keep reminding her if they weren't busy they would be in big trouble.

Last baby bird to leave the nest. I don't think he wanted to go. Maybe the mother pushed him. I didn't get to see how he left.

Latest and final update on my robins nest. About two weeks ago, I noticed broken blue egg shells around on my porch and I feared something had gotten into the nest and ate the eggs. I watched the mother and father come and go from the nest with mouths filled with worms so I de cided there must be baby birds in the bottom. I watched for a couple of days as the two birds were busy coming and going always with worms. I then left for about 10 days and upon return, wa la, I find five baby birds waiting with mouths open for their next feeding of worms. Wow, they had grown fast and the nest was filled, as you can see from above. I have enjoyed watching them for the past five days grow and eventually stand, spread their wings, and peek out over the edge. They were not a bit afraid of me when I would go out and get a closer look at them but the mother bird would go crazy. Iam surprised she didn't attack me. She always seemed close by and very vocal about me getting close to her babies.

Yesterday, one by one they began leaving the nest. I don't know if they left by choice, as I never got to see them actually jump or if they just got pushed out by one of the other birdies. It was real crowded in that little nest. Today, upon examining first thing in the morning, there were only two babies left and I had a hard time leaving my window from where I have watched them from the beginning. They would peek over the edge, look around, and wonder if they should really go or stay in the security of the nest. As I returned to the window, the second to last birdie had left the nest but wasn't happy and was trying to get back up. He couldn't fly yet and was trying to climb up the boards on my porch. He just wasn't successful and finally fell to the ground and wandered off never to be seen again. That left the last little birdie and he seemed totally lost and confused as to what he should do. There was no one there to push him out and the mommy birdie kept coming back feeding him. I watched as much as I could, fascinated, most of the day as he kept creeping to the edge, looking down, then going back to the comfort of the nest waiting for the next worm to arrive. The mom was faithful to keep feeding him and about 4 p.m. as I return to the window, he had left the nest and was walking around on the porch. For a while, he just sat, I'm sure not knowing what to do and waiting for the mommy to bring worms, but she never did and my heart went out to him. I wanted to go put him back in the nest, but realized this is the cycle of life and they all have to leave the nest sooner or later.

Once the nest was empty, I saw the mom and dad or the babies no more. I felt like they had deserted me and left me with nothing to entertain myself with. How dare they!! But, it is just like real life. After working so hard for your little babies, they eventually leave the nest and you must find a new life. I just wonder if the little mommie robin gets to hang around her children and watch and enjoy the next generation. We'll see if any of them return next year to their home to have their own little family. I will miss watching them daily but will not miss the mess they left. Birds sure do poop a lot.

Memorial Day 2011

This post is for my family members that did not get to visit the graves of my mother, father and two sisters, Linda and Diane. I made three trips out to the cemetary and decorated graves in the blustering wind but luckily, the rain stopped long enough for me to get my chores done. I have accumulated quite a few plastic flowers that I add to every year and I know plastic, but they don't need water and I am not good keeping real flowers alive. I also buy 6-8 pots of mums that I have learned how to secure down with stakes so they stay upright for the three days I leave them there. I then take them back to my house and plant them and if I remember to water them, I enjoy them for a couple of weeks. As I left the cemetary on Friday night after watching the sun set with my family, as I drove away I was gently reminded that I hadn't left my usual bunch of lilacs that my mother loved. I usually stop at the little house she lived in while in IF and cut lilacs but this year I took a different route to the cemetary and totally forgot the lilacs. I promised her I would get some in Boise and leave them on my way back home. In Boise, I didn't see one lilac tree and as I left, I wondered where I would find blooming lilacs on the side of the freeway. In Twin Falls, I was prompted to take a street running along the side of the freeway that I thought I had seen a lilac tree on the way past but wasn't sure. As I was just about to turn around, wa la, there were two small blooming lilac trees in the gutter so I didn't have to invade anyones property. Cut my lilacs and off I went back to the cemetary. I left the lilacs next to mom's headstone and was proud that I had listened to that still small voice telling me where I could find them. Again, the wind was blowing hard so I quickly grabbed all my flowers and I think I might have taken some other flowers that had been left there. So, if anyone left flowers at the graves and they disappeared, I probably have them and they will be put back next year.

Update on my robins. My little robin has gotten braver and doesn't frighten quite like she used to. She is spending more time in the nest so I think she must have layed her eggs. I saw something so touching today I need to get it down for all to enjoy. I haven't seen the male Robin lately but today as I sat in the chair watching, the male Robin flies to the edge of the nest, gives the female a worm, then the female jumps to the side of the nest, the male looks down at the eggs and flies away. It was sooo cute. I would love to get up there to see how many eggs there are, but I am afraid I would get attacked. Whenever the mother birdie leaves the nest and I am outside, she is close by chirping as loudly as possible warning me not to get closer. I can't resist looking at her and saying "I was here first" and off I go. I have begin to use my back door as much as possible as not to disturb her. I can't wait until the little birdies hatch. I will get another photo when that happens. If by chance someone reading is wondering about the robins, check out my last two posts.

I am looking at life different these days. Will post more on that later.