Spring is... Birds

House finches nesting in my Christmas wreath
(two eggs and one fuzzy head)

Check it out: Hummingbird Nest Cam

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It's interesting how different people have different perspectives on things. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times people have brought nestling finches into the rehab center because they were nesting in the wreath on the front door or in the planter on the front porch. No, they weren't orphaned - they were just an inconvenience. The excuses were numerous: "It's April and Christmas is over - I have to take this wreath down NOW." "I've heard finches are messy and I don't want to see any poop on my porch." "I must water this plant and I'm afraid I'll drown the babies." And my all-time favorite: "Birds have diseases - we're all going to die." Oh puleeeze...

I, on the other hand, feel honored that these little birds chose my wreath to nest in. So honored that I stopped using the front door three weeks ago when I noticed them building. So honored that I locked the screen door from the inside to keep all the horrible solicitors from banging the wreath around every time they want to shove their trash in between my screen door and front door (i.e, brochures, flyers, etc. -- all trash to me since I never read them and would never use any service who advertises this way). So honored that I'm tempted to stop the mail until the babies fledge so the mailman doesn't disturb them.

Is it inconvenient for me? Of course. Do I care that my dead brown wreath is still hanging on my door when everyone else on the block has already removed their Christmas wreaths? Of course not. Because I know that it only takes 2 weeks for the eggs to hatch, and it'll only be another 2 weeks until the little birds fledge. Because I know that poop can be washed away. Bird poop doesn't scare me one little bit. (The dog that pooped in the pocket of my new white coat last night, however... ugh - another story entirely!) It's been 3 years since I've worked intensely with birds, and I miss having them around. So I feel blessed that I get to watch this little bit of nature - up close and personal. Not as close as when I was rehabbing, but close enough for now.

I also discovered a fabulous hummingbird web cam. This is her 4th brood this year according to the cam owner in California. Wow. Hummers haven't even arrived in Minnesota yet, much less thought about nesting for the first time. Click on the link above to view the nest. She has three eggs (one too many for a hummer), and they're due to hatch any day now.

One of my many sweet hummers: My Seasonal Migration