This year we had robins build a nest underneath our deck on the outer beam between two floor joist. I became aware of the nest when I started seeing an adult fly out from under the deck each time I took our dog out for a frisbee session.
I worried that we might distress the bird and cause harm to the survival of the babies. As I debated whether to suspend frisbee sessions until the babies were fledged I decided against it. I was quite sure the bird had picked the spot and built the during one of our multiple daily sessions. The environment of frisbee sessions was already in place so I had to assume everything would be all right and that the adult was foraging for food each time it left the nest.
I had a great view of the nest from my basement office. I checked on it daily, wondering when the eggs would hatch. They finally did and I could see two baby birds poke their heads up. A few days ago I finally decided to get my camera out and make a portrait of our house guests. The next day I noticed an adult was perched in a tree across from the deck and giving a continuous call to the babies. I checked in on the nest and saw that the babies were standing taller than I had seen before. They looked fully fledged and I immediately thought that this might be the moment when they would leave the nest. Sure enough it was. The next morning the nest was empty.
I felt a tinge of sadness and pride at their departure. I was happy that we had provided an environment that supported their growth and development and I was sad knowing I wouldn’t be seeing them every day.
It turns out this was the graduation season for baby birds. The same day I noticed my robins departure I spotted lots of baby birds flitting around the yard. Goldfinches were learning to move from place to place in their distinctive sine wave flight and a small baby chipping sparrow was hopping around the ground feeding on bugs. It didn’t seem to notice me standing there and kept hopping towards me until it got within a foot and flew off.
That afternoon my son and his girlfriend visited. They had borrowed our truck to haul yard debris to the dump. As we sat in the living room a doe with two spotted fawns came to drink at the clawfoot bathtub pond in the back yard. We watched them with delight and hoped that they would not accidentally slurp up any of the 20 or so goldfish that live beneath the water lilies.
This morning we spied a cottontail rabbit in the driveway. We have never seen rabbits on our property before. I wonder when the fox and coyotes will come through again. Where there are rabbits I will assume there are coyotes.
For the past week, Sarah has been coming outside early in the morning with her coffee and making bird call recordings using the Merlin app. We have been surprised at the number of species we are discovering. Learning the calls is helping us begin to see a greater variety of birds. I join her with my coffee cup and a pair of binoculars. I cherish these moments before the temperature rises to the point where I have to retreat back inside.
Today we had a visit from our two baby robins! They landed in the gravel driveway and were already hopping around just like an adult robin. I know the survival rate of birds is low, and only 25% of fully fledged robins will make it to November. Out of that half, only half will make it to the next year. I am rooting for these youngsters and hope they will return home to us again next year.
A friend of mine teases me about my love of birds. He says, “you know you’re old if you can name more than three bird species!” It’s a funny joke that holds some truth. I can name about 28 species that frequent our yard.
On our last motorcycle camping trip I started calling out the names of the birds I was seeing and he started ribbing me again about being an old man. I tease him back by telling him I would help him learn the names of birds too. I treated him like a kindergarten school as I suggested he start with the easiest names that are based on simple colors like bluebird, brown cow bird, and yellow headed black bird. It will be awhile before he can get into the more complex names like Tyrannidae Flycatcher aka Eastern Kingbird!
As I ride down the rural highway I stand up and feel as though I am flying with the wind blowing hard against my body. I am not actually flying but almost. I’m probably more like that baby bird standing in the nest. I’m not quite fully fledged… but getting closer.
If my love of birds is a sign of my age and I am grateful for it. We lie to ourselves calling the 50’s middle–aged. I am 55 and beyond middle aged… but happier than I have ever been because I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for all the ways nature reveals itself to me and teaches me wisdom about the cycle of life.
