I've been watching our Robin's nest with 4 growing babies in it. The nest is high up, tucked under the floor of our deck, on a rafter. I can keep an eye on it from a basement window, but I can also see into it by peering through the crack in the floor boards of the deck.
This is our third nest this year, but this one turned out to be nerve-wracking! The heat has been terrible, and I couldn't help but worry if the babies could handle it. Each day I saw fuzzy little heads hanging over the edge of the nest, beaks open, panting in the heat. Would they be able to stay cool without the insulation of feathers? Was there any breeze in that little corner the nest is tucked into? I worried about them. It was so tempting to try and set up a fan to move the air around.
But worse than the heat was the fact that whenever I saw Mama feeding the babies, it was clear that 2 heads rose above the rest, and one tiny little head barely cleared the top of the nest. Worst of all, Mama seemed to feed the 2 big ones, and sometimes the third one, but I never saw her feed the tiny one. I was sure I was seeing Mother Nature's survival law at work; Survival of the Fittest. And I hated it. I wished I could find some worms and feed the one that was being ignored!
Jane Goodall is an animal behaviorist well-known for her work with gorillas. I've admired her tenacity as she sat near the gorillas and observed, but never meddled. Now, I confess, it wouldn't be that hard to resist the urge to meddle with gorillas, but even so, when she saw a baby being ignored, or going hungry, don't you think she was dying to go help it out? (At least as long as the adults were a good distance away!!) Wildlife watchers do just that. They watch. They don't interfere, or help. Their job is to let nature take its course and observe. But I can't help but believe that sometimes they wish they could step in to save an animal they've been studying.
After watching my little nest of birds, I now know I would never have made it as a wildlife watcher, as interesting as it would be. It is nice to know I didn't follow the wrong path in life, don't you think?
I did help my birds out one time. One day not long after the babies were born, as I peered through the floor boards, I noticed a very hot noonday sunbeam had made it's way through the crack and was striking a pink-skinned baby. The sun felt like a laser that day so I pulled a deck chair over the spot to provide a little shade. That's the extent of my interference, or assistance, depending on how you look at it!
Having baby birds under our deck presented another problem for the parents. I liked to work in the yard, and we liked cooking on the grill and eating at our picnic table. Mama Robin seemed to develop a sense of trust around me. While we were sitting at our picnic table eating dinner she would fly up to feed her babies. Working in the yard presented more of a dilemma. The parents would station themselves around the yard and yell at me. I tried to give them space, but sometimes there seemed to be no satisfying them. And then Mama and I made a deal.
When I worked in the yard, near the nest, Papa Robin sat in a tree and CHEEPed threateningly at me. When I looked at him, he would fly off, trying to lure me away. But when Mama Robin came with a bug or a worm, she gave a little "chirp". As soon as I walked away she flew up to the nest to feed her babies.
It is now time for the babies to fledge. Last night, I saw all 4 babies peering over the edge of the nest and I was able to get a photo of the four of them waiting for 'dinner'. It was a great sight to see! They all looked healthy! Perhaps I just couldn't get a good viewing angle on that little one I thought was ignored. Or perhaps he was fed first and it was the other birds' turns. Whatever it was, nature took it's course, and all 4 have grown up without my help!
And today the first one flew from the nest! By tomorrow the nest will be empty. At that point I may be done watching the nest, but it won't be over for the babies. For one thing, I heard our local hawk screeching today. So even when they leave the nest, danger awaits.
Even when they leave the nest they won't be safe. Today I heard our local hawk screeching as it soared above us. Between hawks, vultures, cats and other predators, the babies will have to learn quickly how to stay alert and protect themselves.
Also, baby robins still need to be fed by the mother for a few more weeks. The other night when I was walking, I saw a baby robin that looked full grown. Suddenly a mother robin hopped over with a worm and popped it in the babies mouth. The baby stood on the path with his head tilted back and his beak straight up in the air waiting for more.
Ok, sweetie! Time to cook your own meals!!
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