Three Little Birds

OK, so I think there might be 5 or 6 little birds.  Regardless...our house has become an aviary. 

Our first experience with birds taking over was when we had a phoebe nest on the front porch.  The mother bird was not so keen on us using the front porch while her brood was still in the nest.  She would fly away when we opened the front door and then every 2-3 minutes she would fly over, look at us in a very impatient and irritated way and then fly over to a nearby rock and just watch us.  I swear her wings were crossed over her chest and she was tapping her little foot.  Eventually we just stopped using the front porch because I couldn't handle her guilt trips anymore!  Thankfully the front porch phoebes have flown the coop, but not without causing quite a commotion.

So here is the sad, sad story of the front porch phoebes.  A few weeks ago, shortly after giving up the porch to the birds, Brody and drove home and I noticed some "debris" on the floor of the porch.  I got Brody inside and all settled and then looked out the bathroom window to see what could possibly be littering our porch.  I was heartbroken when I saw that it was the four little phoebes, having fallen or been pushed out of their nest.  What was even more heartbreaking was when I realized that one was still breathing.  I had to do something, I couldn't let the poor thing just lay their and die on my front porch.  What to do?  What to do?  I paced the hallway trying to think...my mind was racing.  So I called Audubon - they were open until 5pm and it was only 4:30. Ring, ring... It went straight to voicemail.  Damn!  Redial...voicemail again!  Damn, damn those Audubon bastards.  I knew they were there, probably helping someone in the gift shop when I had a REAL bird emergency here.  So I called the person that I always call when tragedy strikes...my dad. 

Of course I don't really know why I call my dad because he usually isn't able to actually help the situation, case in point, I was driving to work on Route 13 back when we lived in Goffstown, tragedy struck and I called my dad, the conversation went a little something like this...

Dad: "Hello?"

Me (through tears): "Dad, I'm on my way to work and I just hit a badger.  It was huge Dad and it's definitely dead.  I feel AWFUL!"

Dad: "Jilly?  Where are you?"

Me: (sniff, sniff) "I'm on my way to work."

Dad: "In New Hampshire?"

Me (irritated now): "Yes, in New Hampshire!"

Dad: "Well, then you didn't hit a badger."

Me (fuming): "Well I hit something and I killed it."

By the end of the conversation we had determined that it was in fact a ground hog, not a badger that I hit, and that I was an idiot for not knowing that we don't have badgers in the northeast.  And as irritating as it was, by the end of the conversation I wasn't quite as heartbroken as I had been at the beginning of the conversation.  So even though my dad can't actually fix it...he fixes it and because of that, he's my go to tragedy man.  After a quick talk with him, somehow I was brave enough to go out on the front porch and deal with the birds.  After all, I didn't want Brody to open the door and see a pile of tiny dead birds.  So...I put my raincoat on and winter gloves because I didn't want that fiesty momma bird to attack me and I didn't want to leave any residue scent on the baby bird so she would reject it.  And somehow, I managed to pick up the three dead birds and put them in a shoebox and then - I seriously have no idea how I did this, but I was able to pick up the last living baby bird and get it back in the nest.  Take that Audubon!

Now, I don't know if the baby actually made it, but the mother came back and spent another week or more tending to the nest so I'm hopeful that it all worked out OK.

The next experience with birds taking over is still ongoing.  We have our front porch back, but the tower on Brody's swingset has been taken over by robins.  When Ryan and Brody went to check on the nest the other day, one of the 5 or 6 little chicks had hatched and poked his headup at them, eyes still closed, only a muppet-like tuft of hair on it's otherwise naked little body.  That afternoon I was able to get a picture and a quick video of the little guys (or gals).  Another one had hatched and they were just chilling out and enjoying the freedom of being outside their eggs.  We've had a serious heat wave over the last few days and I haven't checked the nest again to see if they others have hatched and how they are making out in the heat, but here is what they looked like the other day. 

That's all the bird stories for now.  I'll let you know what else hatches!