I felt like a criminal yesterday.  Seth and Sarah were napping so I went outside with my camera to wander around.  It’s a treat to be alone, as I spend most of my day trying to keep the children entertained and in one piece.  Enjoying the solitude, I went down to the pine trees around the pond and looked up.  I saw a nest up there with a mama bird peering at me over the edge.  It was pretty high up and I wasn’t about to get myself covered in pine pitch trying to climb, so I left her alone and explored the other trees.  Sure enough, I found another nest and this one wasn’t so high or as challenging to look into.

 

 

At this point I did not know what kind of bird it was.  When photographing wild things, there is an ever present urge within me to get “closer” to whatever I am trying to photograph, so I crept higher up into the branches.  Little birdie kept his eye on me.  He was getting nervous but I never dreamed he would fly the nest and almost become someone’s next meal.

 

 

It was a baby robin. I got pretty close to it, didn’t I?  What happened next was so disturbing that I didn’t get any pictures of it, although Ethan told me emphatically that I should have.

When I snapped the camera, capturing the picture that I was after, the frightened little thing flew right out the nest.

Keep in mind, as a mom of seven, I have a fully developed mother’s heart.  It’s as soft as pudding, especially around babies of any species.  I would never want to see or be the cause of a baby getting scared or hurt.  I want to take care of babies, to spoil and snuggle babies, not make them (in this case) fly away.

The little thing flew right out of the nest.  Right before my very eyes (which were quite wide), the birdie landed IN THE WATER AT THE EDGE OF THE POND directly on the top of a BULLFROG, who PROMPTLY latched on to the dear little thing WITH IT’S BIG WIDE MOUTH.  Oh horror!

I was beginning to tremble and the commotion in the trees, made by Mama and Papa Robin, was making me feel utterly ashamed……..

Down below, the fluttering of baby’s wings in the water and frantic distress calls quickly came to end.  I was on my way down from the tree, hoping to rescue baby bird from being drowned or eaten by the bullfrog.  I was sure it was being held underwater, but I found the little thing trembling on the bank, trying to hide between two rocks.  I made my way down to it, with Mama and Papa furiously scolding me from the trees, and took the little thing in my hands.  It was rather like holding one of my baby chicks.

I returned it to the nest and in the process scared out it’s sister.  She didn’t land in the water but I never saw where she ended up.  I made my way down to the ground and just sat.  Feeling like a low-down criminal.

Mama and Papa Robin were not done scolding me, either.  They peeped and squawked, made a ruckus, and to my amazement, all their neighbors came flying.  I saw a hummingbird, a pair of orioles, a catbird, a goldfinch, a purple finch couple, two little yellow birds, and others.  They all flew over to see what was the matter!

“I’ll tell you exactly what’s the matter!  That big ugly human down there disturbed my babies!”

 

“I have a worm so you don’t have to make supper tonight, Mama Robin.  Hope you and the youngin’ feel better soon.”

 

 

“What’s happening?  What’s happening?”

 

 

 

 

After we all settled down, I took my unwanted presence away from the bird community.  With many apologies for the disturbance, I backed away and left them alone to recover.

Hours later……………

Grace and I checked on the Robin family.  The nest was (unsurprisingly) deserted and baby was perched in a branch across the way, next to the stream.

 

 

 

The poor thing had quite the day.  “From the jaws of Mr. Bullfrog and back again”

 

 

As for me, I will never get that close to a nest of baby birds again!