All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. ~Havelock Ellis, English physician
Perhaps nobody understands this statement better than a parent.
Especially a Mama Bird parent.
Welcome to the world, wee ones
Helpless and needy, these babies (housed in my red and white Begonia hanging basket) spend a LOT of time with their mouths open. Waiting for food.
Your first Christmas photo, guys and gals
Don’t you love the fuzz on this one’s little head? And their bright eyes?
I read somewhere that baby birds need to be fed every 15-30 minutes — so Mama is one busy gal. And no way does she want me too close to her home — or her biddies. Every time I go out the door, she makes a staccato clicking noise designed to frighten me and my camera away.
Gathering some courage
These two babies are starting to look more like birds. They’ve hopped from the nest deep inside the pot to the Begonia stems (probably trying to avoid their siblings and the communal bathroom). Once, I caught one furiously flapping its wings — sorry, no photo of that, but it was really cute.
Yum … dinner, again
Mama arrives with what appeared to be a worm to drop into her brood’s waiting mouths.
The way I understand it, she’ll gradually move farther and farther out, much like a human parent teaching a child to walk. That way, the babes (who are motivated strictly by food at this stage) will become more used to the idea of leaving home.
Eventually, they’ll topple out, hop among low-lying branches for a while, and eventually find their wings strong enough to hoist them into the sky.
Can’t you almost hear Mama Bird say, Whew…successfully launched!
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
Love the pix! An upfront seat to the magnificence of nature. Thank you for being our eyes and ears!
I only wish the photos were a bit clearer, but I didn’t want to frighten Mama or her little ones. And it’s a good thing I captured what I could, when I could — they’ve all flown the coop now!
Well captured shots! You can’t get too mad at their nesting inconveniences when you see the littles babies hatch!
You make an outstanding point, DD. Sacrifice is just part of Nature, isn’t it?! And those babies are just so doggone cute!
This makes me want to take a peek at the nests we have at our house. I hear lots of peeps but haven’t seen the babies yet. Such an amazing thing to witness!
The miracle of birth IS amazing, whether it’s human or animal. I’m fortunate to have had a front-row seat to the entire thing — now, to see if I can heal my Begonia!
As much as I enjoy my pets, I sometimes find myself sad thinking about the canine and feline parents who had to give them up for me to enjoy…and I feel incredibly selfish yet joyful for my pets…oh, the irony!
Isn’t that the truth, Suzi? I see Dallas’s birth mom fairly often, and I wonder if she ever wonders how her babies are being treated. Next time I see her, I’ll have to assure her that I, for one, am doing right by Dallas!
Debbie…this post (and your pictures) made me smile from ear to ear. OMG…those little baby birdies are sooooooooo precious!
“Don’t you love the fuzz on this one’s little head? And their bright eyes?”
Yes…they are ADORABLE! And I can almost hear the little peeping sounds they make when they’re hungry and want to eat.
Thanks so much for sharing this. Ain’t nature GRAND? And bless you for supplying Mama Bird a place to have her babies!
Have a great rest of your week, my friend!
X
Glad to have made you smile today, Ron! I’m sorry the pictures aren’t clearer like the ones my friend Cindy (https://cindyknoke.com/2016/07/11/red-tail-kids/) gets, but I didn’t want to spook the family. And since I really am unsure what species of bird I’m dealing with, I didn’t know if Mama (or Daddy) would try to swoop at me … or worse!
As others have mentioned, my Begonia has taken a hit, but I still believe it’s salvageable. First order of business is removing the empty nest, tidying up the soil, and giving it a l-o-n-g drink of water.
Happy rest of your week, dear! xo
Lovely pics! Gosh, they hatched quickly didn’t they? And your begonia looks like it will survive the whole experience… unless a new family moves in when this one vacates… 😉
They DID hatch fast, FF, and it was merely days before they were flying off. In fact, if I hadn’t been “sidelined” from this car crash, I’d have probably missed the whole thing! As for my Begonia, well, yes, I might have to take special precautions to prevent another homesteading. Obviously, Yellow Snake is slacking off!
I knew it! What a great update. Love the pictures. So cute. I know it wasn’t easy to sacrifice your begonia (although it looks pretty healthy) but you should be proud of such an outstanding launching-! And look how much you’ve learned. . .
Aw, gee, thanks. Suddenly, I feel real noble — and isn’t it a good Christian thing to do, housing the homeless (or something like that?!?) Anyway, what I haven’t learned is what species of bird this was. The mama made all sorts of chirping and clicking noises, but I never actually saw the babies speak. Oh, well, one can’t watch a nest 24/7, can one?!
Gorgeous babies. Oh, My!
And mama is faaaaaaaaaaabulous & nurturing.
I just love all of the metaphors one can write about birds.
How WONDERFUL, Debbie.
Mamas should be fabulous and nurturing, don’t you agree?? Thanks for coming along on the first leg of their journey into life, Kim. Love to you from steamy Central Illinois!! xx
What a cute story Debbie. That is one special Begonia.
Glad you enjoyed it, John. We just can’t make stuff like this up. can we?
I’ve known that there were babies about, because the mockingbird, bluejays, cardinals and sparrows have been flying back and forth and back on a regular basis, getting food to carry off. Finally the babies are showing up, too — although they aren’t babies at this point. They’re more like teenagers.
The only exception is one baby sparrow. It can fly perfectly well, and if no one is around, it eats perfectly well by itself. But if Mom or Dad happen by, it’s all open mouth, flutter wings. I swear I can hear it yelling, “Feed me! feed me!” At this point in its young life, the parents have quit responding. That poor baby bird is just going to have to get with the program. There’s always one that doesn’t want to grow up!
You mean even baby birds suffer from not wanting to grow up … and move away? I know of folks who graduated with Domer who are still living with Mom and Dad, refusing to look for jobs, and relying on video games for entertainment. Something wrong with that picture, it seems to me.
I suspect your baby sparrow will learn to fly fast if a cat comes prowling around That, or he will become feline dinner. It’s unfortunate that some of them have to learn the hard way, isn’t it?
Oh, he flies perfectly well. There’s not a thing wrong with him, except that he likes being babied. When Mom and Dad depart, he sits and fusses for a bit, then seems to sigh. He gets another sunflower seed, and then flies off after them. Funny kid.
Sounds like an imp to me! I don’t imagine he’s got Mom and Dad fooled, though. I guess they know eventually, he’ll leave — but perhaps they’re just as reluctant to see him go?!!
I so loved these babies, that one with the fuzzy little head! Poor begonia, but I guess it did make a nice home. You took some great photos, and I also enjoyed the background information that you gave on the baby birds and mama bird habits. I know they don’t stay in the nest long, so maybe you can get some shots of them learning to hop around and trying to fly 🙂
I wish I had, but they were so fast about the whole process that I missed them. I mean, one minute, they were in the nest and the next, they’d flown away. I can’t fathom how Mama Bird taught them everything they’d need to know to survive, but she must have (the alternative is too awful to consider!)