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Farm
Journals
Leaving the Nest (by Sharon)
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Butterfly Hollow Farm ____ The Path Leading Us Here ____ How The Farm Got Its Name ____ Restoring the Old Farmhouse ____ Where The Beefalo Roam ____ Saddle Up The Horses ____ Saving Wilderness and Farm Land ____ Farm Journals ____ Sharing The Farm ____ Guest Book ____ Site Map ____ |
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A few weeks ago we noticed the telltale signs of bird droppings on the porch. We looked up, and just as we expected, there was a bird's nest nestled underneath the tin roof sitting on a 2 by 4. We brought over the ladder and climbed up to have a look. There were 4 white eggs in the nest and we had no idea what type of bird they belonged to. We continued to watch and finally a pretty gray-brown bird with a yellowish belly made an appearance. She would fly by the nest, peek in and continue on over to perch on a branch of a nearby tree. We looked up her description in our "Stokes Field Guide to Birds" book and found that she was an Eastern Phoebe. One way to identify them is by the continuous bobbing of their tails. In the passing weeks she and her mate became familiar with us and would fly by and bring nest supplies to make the finishing touches with us sitting right under her nest. Finally, one day we heard little chirping sounds coming from inside the nest. With the ladder back in position we took turns looking in at the 4 little baby phoebes. David said that they reminded him of four little old men. They were pink and wrinkled with almost no feathers. On the tops of their heads was a little bit of peach fuzz sticking up that made them look like little old Indians. They were just adorable. The phoebes' parents were so attentive. They took turns feeding the babies. In a few days time the phoebes were all covered in pretty brownish gray feathers. When we would look in at them they would just stare back and cheep, cheep.  Having always been intrigued with birds, I find it very enjoyable to just sit and watch these flying jewels as they make their way from tree limb over to the fence post. Today, with cup of coffee in hand, I positioned my rocking chair so that I had a "birdseye" view of the phoebes nest. David kept checking in with me to be sure that he didn't miss anything. He had discovered early this morning that three of the babies have already left the nest. There was only one baby in the nest and we didn't want to miss his takeoff. The last young phoebe perched on the side of the nest. Mama Phoebe was close by. We could hear her singing. She was encouraging Little Phoebe with her chirping. Then in the blink of an eye, Little Phoebe stretched its tiny wings and took the plunge. He dipped up and down and in a none-to-straight line he flew over to the branch where Mama Phoebe had so often perched. We walked over to investigate and watched him sway back in forth on the limb. His eyes were closed and he looked so tired. I think he was asleep. It must really take a lot out of them to fly for the first time. David was within an inch of him when he opened his eyes. He just stared at David as if to say, "Are you my Mommy?" We must have sat out there for twenty minutes before we noticed Mama Phoebe calling to her baby. From the wooded area beside the creek we could hear her "chirp", "chirp", "chirp". Little Phoebe started answering back. We watched in delight when he sat up straighter and twitched his little head. He answered his mama's call and flew off in her direction. David and I sat out on the porch for a while longer in hopes of seeing them again. We took turns looking through the binoculars at the many other birds that live here with us at Butterfly Hollow. We spotted an Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, and a Cardinal. In the distance we could hear the drumming of a Redheaded Woodpecker and silently wondered how many other babies had left their nest today.
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info@butterflyhollow.com
Butterfly
Hollow
Gordonsville,
TN 38563