May 14th, 2018

I only just recently discovered this nest in a tree in our backyard.  Apparently I am not nearly as observant as I would like to believe that I am.

​My relationship with the trees in our yard is, let's say, remote.  I acknowledge that they exist and I'm glad that we have them, but I don't know them well.  Up to this point, the trees I am most familiar with were the ones we had cut down.   Although they were very large trees, very tall trees, they did not look healthy and I fretted about them.  Primarily I worried about them falling down in a storm and either hurting someone or damaging something.  So we had them cut down.  

​Although there are many different kinds of trees here in Florida, most of the remaining trees in our yard are palm trees of one sort of another.  Tall ones, short ones, fat ones, skinny ones double trees, triple trees and one fairly bizarre one that reminds me of a muppet.    They do not require much from me, just to pick up what they throw down. And that is practically a daily task.  It requires only that I notice that there is something that used to be in the tree now laying on the ground, me picking it up and hauling it around to the side yard where I stack such things for our lawn service guys to take away on Wednesdays when they come by.  Other than that, I really do not pay much attention to them.  I do not know their names.

​I suppose that's why I did not notice the nest.  Birds I notice.  I don't know most of their names either but I notice them.  We are loaded with all sorts of birds. All colours, sizes and songs. They must live somewhere nearby because it seems like that are always hanging around here. It just makes sense that there would be a few nests around close by, I suppose I just didn't think about it.  

​The only reason I came to find this one was a palm frond that was still just barely attached to the tree, but dangling by a thread so to speak.  That dangling frond, was hard to miss.  Sometimes, if a dangler is given a tiniest bit of a tug, it's just enough encouragement for the tree to finish letting go and then I can drag it away.  That was my sole intention.  

​So I'm standing under the tree, looking up to see where the frond is still attached and the degree of attachment.  That's when I noticed it.  Is that a nest?  I circled under the tree looking up.  Why yes, I believe it is!  It was very exciting!  Uplifting!  How wonderful!

​It's a good sized nest and therefore would hold a fair sized bird. Not one of the pretty little songbird nests for sure.  This is something more substantial.  My first thought was, of course, to learn more.  I considered getting a ladder to climb up higher and peek into the nest and see if there were eggs or babies and then half way to the utility room, I stopped.

​I would certainly not have appreciated someone peeking into my "nest" when I was raising my own babies. In fact, if I felt that my children were threatened, I would become very angry and act accordingly.  No, I decided, I will instead, just keep a half an eye on that corner of the yard and try to see if I can spot the parent birds coming to and from the nest and learn more that way.

​That is what we mama birds do, y'know.  First we build our nests - we rent or buy or build the home that we live in.  And then we feather our nests - we decorate and tidy and hang pictures and paint walls and make it just right for our families.  Then we raise our baby birds and at first, they need us all of the time for everything.  They make a heck of a racket and it seems like we are feeding them all of the time!  We protect them from all of the many dangers that exist.  We teach them about life and how to be the best version of themselves that they can possibly be. Then they grow up and they leave our nests and go on to build their own.  Sometimes they don't fly straight right away, but eventually they figure it out.

​Maybe that's why I was so tickled to find a nest in our yard.  They knew that it was a safe place for them to raise their little ones.  We Mama's gotta stick together.

​Hope your Mother's Day was absolutely perfect and that your little birds celebrated you exactly as you hoped they would.  Mine absolutely did!