Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Baby birds in the city

Augie and Vi love to play baby bird. They’ll look up and open their mouths, and we share a bit of a snack, or sometimes just pretend to drop insects into their maws.

Last week we took a little field trip to see some real baby birds in a tiny nest next to the back door of our friend Peggy, who lives just two blocks away.

As we got near we saw the mother bird (something small; a wren maybe?) fly from the nest up into the trees. We waited outside the fence, but she didn’t return. So we entered the yard and Pa lifted up each grandchild to peer into the nest. I took pictures, which we looked at later on the computer so we could talk more about what we saw.

Only one baby bird had its mouth open (and of course it closed up just as I took my shot). I found myself wondering, was this one more aggressive than the others? Or had this one missed getting fed? (We didn’t point out the fact that one tiny baby had already perished and been pushed from the nest along with an egg. That's a nature lesson for when they're a little bit older.)

The tiny, huddled birds didn’t hold our kids’ interest for long, but it was a nice bit of nature right here in the city. We can supplement the field trip by looking at nest cams on the internet. If the babies survive, we may return to see how they've grown...and to try out Peggy's wonderful swing again!

21 comments:

Kathy said...

So awesome! Such a wonderful part of spring.....little one on the swing is so cute! I have to show that to IRv...that is exactly how I want the back corner of our yard....swing and all!!!

Cheryl said...

Seeing a dead baby bird in the grass or the remnants of one always breaks my heart. I'm not really good with the circle of life when it comes to animals. Really stink at it with people.

Chantel said...

What a lovely spring escapade! It's still a wonder to me when I discover fresh life within our concrete world.

I had to have the "talk" with my 10 yr-old yesterday who brought home two goldfish (named frosty and dirt) he won in the school raffle. Here's to hoping they make it....

DJan said...

Those are some neat pictures. I see the empty egg but was glad I didn't see the baby bird who was pushed from the nest. And it is always hard to see that some make it and some don't. The cycle of nature is not an easy one to explain to little ones.

Unknown said...

I love birds! And your pictures are lovely!
xoxo

Jeanie said...

What a fun thing to do with the kids. I hope they get to go back and see them when they get a little bigger. It is hard to explain the ones that didn't make it.

Ms Sparrow said...

You're so lucky to have easy access to a nest of baby birds! Even though the kids attention span is short, you can bet that the memory of those baby birds will stay with them a long time.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Wonderful little field trip! It is good for the little ones to see the tiny little birds..even if the little birds are fairly ugly:)

Ellie Belen Ambrose said...

A nature field trip, even the tiniest one is a great memory or even tradition for little ones. I've done this with all the kids in our family and they always remember our little adventures. They also have a greater affinity to nature and notice it more than other kids. When they were older we, a photography safari to get them used to using a camera.

Great teaching moment Grandma!

The bonus is I find these types of excursions to be calming for the spirit.

Louise | Italy said...

What a lovely excursion! And how nice that you have the time to back it up with lots of other activities. The Internet really is a wonderful thing if used properly. Charming!

injaynesworld said...

I wish you'd been my grandma...

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy experiencing the joy of spring through my 4 year old's eyes. He's really given me a new perspective of how beautiful and wondrous the changes are. And he's very observant. A nest of babies would absolutely delight him and spur lots of questions!

grammy said...

I love those field trips
I do the same thing with the Grands and Daycare
sometimes just a walk around the block can be a great learning experience
we had a robin nest right by the front door years back
I so loved seeing the babies grow and fly away

Window On The Prairie said...

I know all the baby animals can't survive, but it's hard to see them when they die. Sad part of spring.

Ellen said...

What a fantastic experience for the grandkids. I still remember the time my dad and I stopped and peered for quite some time at a rose and it began to open at that very moment. It was my first experience with something like that. It was about 55 years ago. Love your blog.

gayle said...

You all are "Great" Grandparents!!! Love the pictures!!

Unknown said...

What a fantastic experience for the kids! Your photos are priceless. Thanks for sharing. BTW, thanks for all the great comments too. I really appreciate it!

Cheers!
Julie
Julie Magers Soulen Photography

Indigo Roth said...

Hey Nancy! Yes, that looks to be a very cool swing. It's nice to find nature in the closest places. So long as it's not spiders. Ick. Indigo

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Frabjous pictures! What a great outing for the kids -- no better way to learn than a nature walk with Grandma.

Writing Without Periods! said...

Ah, how wonderful that the kids could see this. That is one of my fondest memories. We were traveling through Georgia and stopped at a cafe' and the owner showed my sister (12) and me (8) some baby birds in a nest.
Mary

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

I have a wreath on my front porch that's a magnet for birds... have had several batches of baby birds there over the years. Best... I can watch them from the windows in my sun room without disturbing them!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails