There is So Much Condemnation in the Eye of a Bird

 

A House Finch built a nest in an artificial tree by my front door. 

Anytime anyone opened the front door or came on the porch the Finch flew away. I tried not to open the door and everyday I tried to sneak a picture when Mama Bird was away!

At some point I realized I could spy on her through the glass of the door. She did not appreciate this at all and gave me the stink eye when I did it. For a week or two she sat on her eggs and I used the side door, mostly. 

There is so much condemnation in the eye of a bird. So much, "What grief are you bringing to my nest?"

Then this happened! A baby bird hatched at last. This is after a couple weeks of me peeking through the glass and whipping the door open when I saw she was gone. Then I'd again hold my phone over the nest and snap a photo quickly and shut the door. 

Now this. I thought they were all hatched. But later, I checked again.

Now how did that happen? I think that the little ones were sleeping on their shy sibling. Maybe Mama Bird rolled it back out. 

Look at these little raptors! Beaks and eyes and everything. It took days for them to look so fully formed!

Sadly, this baby bird story doesn't have a happy ending. Last night I was on a ZOOM call with other Chicken Soup for the Soul What I Learned from My Cat authors. Too bad I don't have a screenshot of that big zoom call filled with authors, half of them holding a cat. It really looked adorable yet this morning I wasn't feeling anything good towards cats. This morning I woke to an empty nest and when I checked my RING camera, this is what I saw. 

After all the hard work of that Mama Bird, now I understand some of that condemnation in the eye of a bird. I've no idea whose cat this is but I'm going to move that decorative tree so no other birds make the mistake of nesting in it.