When the pups were living in our breezeway, a bird came through the window whose screen I’d removed to provide access for Sugar. We kept a bench under the window so she could hop in and out of it to spend time with her babies as she chose to while still being able to shut the door to keep the pups inside.
A nest was built on top of a flower pot shaped like a bird house (seems fitting!). I would climb up on Sugar’s bench each day to peek in and check on the progress of the two little eggs inside. One hatched and I was excitedly awaiting the second’s arrival.
But then tragedy struck the little family, the mama bird got caught in a fly strip. I cannot, (and will not to save you the vision) tell you what a horrific experience that was.
Just awful.
I expected the baby to die on its own. But no! It grew and thrived, with a tuff of fluffy down poofing up on its head and a sweet little chirpy song coming from the nest. The papa bird must’ve raised it alone. The other egg never hatched, I guess because the mom wasn’t around to sit on it.
Once I discovered that it was still living, I left it alone, knowing how fragile its existence was. Then, I stopped hearing its chirpyness and looked inside, yep, she’d grown up and left.
I brought the nest indoors and put it under glass to remind me of the hope that came after the hideous moments of trying to get that mama out of the fly strip and watching it die.
Plus, nests are just cool.
I might decorate it or Foof it up somehow later on. But for now, I am enjoying the simplicity of the nest in the white pottery under glass.
So glad the fledgling survived. Those fly strips are nasty. I have set several out to try to lure some of the flies off the deer. One morning I went out and there was only about an inch left at the top. Think probably a night prowler got stuck, racoon or possum, but in my case, probably not a bird since a bird isn’t heavy enough to rip it off.
Your pups are so cute sitting in the chair together.
It always makes me happy to save a critters life. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bird or a lizard. I’ve had the opportunity to save both. I have a glass cabinet filled with Royal Dalton birds and also fallen nests I have collected. I do spray them with hair spray and leave them in a paper bag until dry. Do that in case of bugs.