Baby Birds

Back in May we had some Swallows decide to make a nest on our house. They used a tiny, tiny landing on our front porch. I do not know how they built that nest but it only took a few days. They used mud and sticks and worked day and night to prepare their home.

There is the finished house. For weeks and weeks we'd see the Momma and Daddy just hanging out. We royally irritated them every time we went to get the mail b/c they'd get all nervous and fly out. We watched and watched and every once in awhile Kelly would hold Gracie up to look in the nest. One day she came down with exciting news, there were 5 eggs!
Ji declared our house lucky when he came over once! I'll take that! Now the waiting game began- lots of waiting and waiting.

Finally, finally we started seeing life! Gracie just loved checking on the babies every day. We watched and watched. Sadly, when going to get the mail one day we discovered one had fallen out and not survived. We had to have a fact of life talk with Gracie.

Though they were fun to watch, what they left behind for us to clean away every day was not. It was nasty!

Once the babies were a tad bigger the Mommy and Daddy would leave bright and early in the morning and be gone all day. I always wondered what they were doing! They would never be out too far b/c we'd see them circling the area keeping an eye on things. At night they'd come back to perch for the night while the babies slept in the nest.

Every day we'd come out and check on them. Jack started coming out too. He was probably wondering what we were looking at/talking to!

Around mid June they grew up. I couldn't imagine how they all fit in that nest. I was worried sick thinking they were going to all fall out but they never did. They just knew I guess. They stayed there all snug waiting on Mommy and Daddy.

Finally one day they figured things out and started leaving the nest. The Mommy or Daddy would take one out to fly then come back for another until they were all gone.  I was glad when they finally got out so we wouldn't have that awful mess to wake up to every morning! Now the birds are back and ready to build nest #2 or reuse the same nest. While we were gone Pop got up and got the nest down and now we put pool noodles up blocking the landing so they can go somewhere else!! Bye bye birds!