The Monteiro Family

When we first moved here almost 5 years agon there was an old birds’ nest in the elbow of the downspout, under an overhang, just outside our bedroom window. We left it there that first spring not knowing what kind of bird made the nest and not knowing if they would be back. They didn’t come back. So in the fall, while we were fall cleaning windows, Johnny took it down. The next spring we were often awakened at dawn by the sound of bird wings flapping against the hollow downspout. This was quite annoying so every attempt the birds made at starting a nest was quickly thwarted by Johnny knocking it down in hopes that they would build elsewhere and let us sleep!

The longer Johnny lived out in the burbs though, the worse his allergies got so by our third spring, we were not sleeping with the windows open very often. In fact the AC goes on at the first hint of hot weather or humidity and generally stays on until we need to switch over to heat in the fall. No open windows meant we no longer heard the birds’ construction.

Last spring, seemingly overnight, a mom and dad bird built a nest and mom laid her eggs. Because it is up so high, we can’t actually see into the nest but mom sat there for weeks and hardly ever moved so we were sure there were eggs in there. It was quite an amazing sight when they hatched a few weeks later and these tiny, weird looking baby birds with no feathers, closed eyes, and huge heads and beaks appeared. Lauren LOVED checking on them every morning and so did I. In fact, several weeks after they hatched, when they finally learned to fly and left the nest, I was quite sad that they were gone. One day they were there, the next, gone…and that was that.

The empty nest remained until Lauren’s class was studying nature in March. Johnny carefully removed the nest (if you saw where it was and how that window opens, you’d be pretty impressed that he got it down in one piece and didn’t fall out the second story window while doing so), placed it in a large ziplock bag, and sent it to preschool. We were expecting the birds to return, as they have every year, around May/June to build again. Well, they started a construction project late May but must have run out of funds because they abandoned the project before it was completed! We thought we were out of luck and I was bummed because I really thought Lauren would enjoy watching the process again.

Suddenly though, in early July, they completed the project it haste (it is quite a messy nest this year) and there mama bird sat once again. I was so excited. Interestingly though, it is Carter who is most excited about the baby birds. He looks for them every time he comes in our room and likes to say, “nuh-night birdies” and “Hi birdies!” to the them before and after his nap each day. Unfortunately for us, the eggs must have hatched around the time we left for NH  and boy are they growing FAST. When we got home Saturday night, 3 babies were already just peaking over the top of the nest and were all head and beak with no feathers, and by today, they already look like they are getting ready to fly! They practically don’t FIT in the nest anymore and I’m so worried one of them will fall out! Each afternoon while the kids nap, I sit on the back deck with my book or laptop and listen and watch as they go nuts every time mom and dad return with some food. It is so interesting to watch. Soon though, they will leave. I hope I’m out there to see it this time although, whether I watch them leave or not, there will be a little hole in my heart until mama bird returns next spring to build a new nest!

I didn’t always remember to bring my camera out with me so I only have a few. These were taken either outside from the deck and zoomed in a lot on my crappy point and shoot, or through the window with a glare off the glass. The link to the video is short. Mom and Dad had come by with food so I grabbed the camera hoping to catch them feeding the babies. Unfortunately though, the camera spooked them and they didn’t come back until I put the camera away!

P.S. Shortly after publishing this I was sitting on the back deck once again (without my camera) when one parent bird returned with something in it’s mouth to feed to the babies. It was huge but due to the angle, I couldn’t really tell what it was…probably a bug of some sort. Well, as the parent gave it to the baby and flew away I noticed the baby was having a hard time swallowing it. Then I realized it was a baby toad!!! Ewwww…nature, while very interesting, can gross me out! The baby did manage to get it down although I almost lost MY lunch!