A View From the Kitchen Window

It's important to have a view from the kitchen window.  A lot of time is spent there.  Although we have a dishwasher, we haven't used it in years and hand wash and dry dishes and pots and pans and spoons and forks.  As we look out, we can see when honey or egg or milk customers drive up.  We watch the squirrels run and jump across the limbs in the live oak trees.  We saw the new swarm move into the column.

A few weeks ago we saw lots of activity in the cleyera shrub that is only 3 feet from the window.  It was a momma cardinal, and she was hard at work.  We spied on her as she carried twigs and straw and constructed a nest right in the crook of the shrub.

She was on a mission and seemed not to mind that she was being scrutinized in her construction project.  When she had it complete, she seemed satisfied and rested.  It felt like home.  Comfortable.  Safe.

Each day the momma cardinal would fly off briefly to find something to eat and then she'd come back and sit on her nest.  While male cardinals are dressed in bright red, the females are a light grey-ish red.  They aren't flashy at all - except for their beaks!  That beak stands out like a sore thumb.

One morning as the momma cardinal flew away for her morning coffee (black, no sugar added), I snuck outside and took a peek inside her nest to see what she was sitting on.

Three little eggs!  It reminds me of the "Robin Egg" candies that are so popular at Easter time.  Faithfully, everyday, rain or shine, the momma sat on her nest.  She had nothing to read, no cell phone to scroll on, yet she was focused on her job.  You know what?  She got the job done.  One morning we looked out and saw this!:

That's some ugly little birds right there!  At the slightest noise or movement, the heads pop up and mouths open wide.  And the mother bird was right there, bringing the babies what looked to be bugs and worms to eat.  

But it wasn't just the mother.  The father, dressed to the nines in his spiffy red suit showed up.  I thought he wanted to just inspect his offspring.

But it was more than that.  The father was bringing food, too!  He was leaning over feeding his babies.  Both the mother and father were taking part in the nurturing of the babies.  No absenteeism, but true teamwork in this home.  It was a touching thing to watch.  I wonder if humans could rediscover this virtue?  But I digress...

In what seemed like no time at all, the babies grew and grew until they had outgrown the nest!  Little feathers now covered their wings.  The once ugly, nude little creatures were now beginning to look like birds.

And then the time came for them to leave the nest.  Be safe, little birds.  Ginger, our cat, is a skilled hunter.  Fly high and out of the grasp of Ginger.  Oh, an empty nest.  It's quiet for sure, even in a human family.  Tricia and I can vouch for that.