8 day old babies

8 day old babies

At 8 days the two babies are as big as a walnut and covered with wee tiny feathers for wings and fluffy down over the rest of their bodies. They’re either a ball of down filling up the nest asleep or they’re upright with their moths wide open ready for Mom to drop food in. My babies did the same, either sleep or eat, come to think of it.

Yesterday, Tuesday, I was in the garden practicing a speech. Mom had a huge tender morsel for the gang. She bounced and flittered all over the place tricking me about the nest location. Only when I stood very still for several minutes would she enter the secret place in the ivy to feed them.

This morning all the birds were fussing and raising hell. Tillie, my neighbor’s cat, was lurking in the garden. Just in time to chase her away, I saw her poise to jump into the nest.

It’s funny how I’ve gotten attached to watching these babies. Every day I check on them. I clap my hands and holler to chase Mom away and still she takes off just in the nick of time to keep from scaring me when I peek on the tiny flock.

I wrote this on thursday morning, very early. Needing some exercise, I took my hour long walk. Again I checked on the nest.

There were only 2 unhatched eggs. The babies were gone.

Nature has a plan and works all of these things out...wether we like it or not.