Where did my babies go, she wondered? Working hard to protect them, she picked a safe quiet home with plenty of warmth and food. Everything was going so well. What happened? Will she ever find her babies again?
It all started a few weeks ago, when we noticed a bird in my artificial plant box hanging on my patio wall. At times she flew away and returned later with twigs and grass. When she flew away, we noticed a nest about to be formed. Days later, a complete circular nest was completed. It amazed me how brilliant the bird made it. I doubt a human could master that craft.
Occasionally, when one bird flew away, another came into the nest. We assumed it was the father bird, helping to bring supplies and food. I researched on Google, that while the mother bird flies away for food and supplies, the father as well, helps. He often sits on the eggs to keep them warm and protected until the mother returns.
One day, we observed the nest when the parents were gone and noticed a couple of eggs. We were so thrilled and flattered that the bird trusted our patio as a safe haven for her babies. The birds, mother and father, became of great interest to us. We loved having them on our property and waited anxiously for the baby chicks to hatch.
Unfortunately, we received a letter from our community advising us they were beginning to commence with power washing and painting our house. They gave us a weekend to remove all our flower boxes and items on the walls of our building and to move our patio furniture away from the house.
What were we going to do with our nest? I read that if we touch it, our human scent would keep the mother and father bird away from the nest, causing death to the young chicks. Further,The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits the removal of all listed species or their parts (feathers, eggs, nests, etc.) .... there is a law not to touch or destroy the nest while living chicks was there
While we were moving our patio furniture away from our house, the bird flew away from her nest. It gave us a chance to look inside to see a couple of chicks barely moving. They were absolutely adorable. We took the planter with the nest in it and moved it to the rear of our patio. We placed it on a table under our Robeline palm tree trusting it will be protected. I feared it would not be as protected as before as the planter was under our overhang roof
We sat on our patio waiting for the mother bird to return looking for her nest. Our hearts were broken, as she kept flying by the spot where her nest was, only to find the wall empty. She knew her babies where close as she walked on the ground back and forth looking. I got up from my chair and walked to the nest showing the bird where the nest was. She kept flying all around the nest but would not jump in. Instead, she kept flying to the spot where the nest was originally.
Peering into the nest again, wondering if the chicks were safe without her parents keeping them warm, I noticed the chicks were playful, poking each other with their beaks. The mother bird kept flying over our patio, and walking on the ground to find her babies. Feeling awful for what we did, I returned the planter back on the wall. A few minutes later, I saw the mother bird back in the nest with her chicks. Feeling much better for the moment, tomorrow is another day, when I will have to move the planter again. I hope the mother will forgive us.
MAMA BIRD SITTING OVER HER BABY CHICKS
