A series of essays....
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| LITTLE MAMA WITH HER HUNGRY CHICKS HAPPY IN THEIR LOFTY HOME |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
I awoke this morning to the sound of feathered wings lightly slapping on the outside of the house, about two feet up from where I lay my head down on the pillow each night. Not that the tapping was the cause for my early retreat from slumber; not at all. Actually, the gentleness of the sound was rather soothing and would surely put one to sleep in the first place. It was because I knew precisely what the sound was and how precious and meaningful it is in the grand scope and pattern of the continuation of life.
Last spring we observed a mother Robin making her home in the crook of our downspout at the corner of the living room picture window. What a mighty and persistent builder she was as she gathered materials from far and near to shape a nest worthy of a high ranking on an Architectural Digest list.
The entire time she created the magnificent structure that would eventually be used to hold her eggs during incubation until her tiny hatchlings were fledged, her dark eyes, circled by a broken white eye-ring, watched us with intense suspicion. After all, not every human or human’s structure is worthy of hosting such important guests!
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| PROVENÇAL DREAMING |
I always enjoyed my early routine of weeding the lavender garden that lives just below our Robin’s unique perch. The lavender scented morning air would create delicate layers of Provençal dreaming. The lingering fragrance may be what has helped draw the Robins back for another springtime venture at Chez Hughes! Anyway, my intense observation of her daily routine so near to me each day encouraged us to create a close bond. The secure sharing of maternal emotion surely brought us together as her fear of me gradually dissipated during the passing of time.
Initially, if she were in her nest working or, later, protecting her eggs, and we’d enter the front door, closing it behind us, she would swiftly fly away and lurk in the bushes around the corner until she felt all was clear and safe, once again. Soon, we were able to go in and out of the door without our lady Robin being fussed or distressed, even after her nest was filled with chirping, open-beaked offspring.
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| MY FAVORITE READING SPOT |
By the time her precious eggs had hatched and she was scrounging the side yard for food to feed her chicks, the friendship between us had grown tight and unbreakable. Her pecking and bobbing from several yards away soon turned into a matter of inches as she pranced her way over to the red bench that was positioned under the Japanese Red Maple tree and where I would sit and read in the dappled shade each afternoon.
We would stare eye-to-eye for extended moments, silently speaking with one another under the graceful and elegant, reddish-purple leaves of this hardy little tree. “Has your busy day been productive, Little Mama? Hope everything is going well for your family and there’s enough to eat for everyone!”
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| FORAGING FOR FOOD |
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| SEEING EYE-TO-EYE AND COMMUNICATING FACE-TO-FACE WITH ONE ANOTHER |
In time, the spell was broken and Little Mama would retreat and continue to forage for insects and worms in order to feed her brood now chirping in the nest built high above such dangers as domestic cats, snakes, squirrels, and other birds. With any luck, the simple presence of human beings should be helpful in keeping many predators away from her chicks until the fledglings were able to fly short distances away from the cozy nest. “You have earned my trust. I am grateful for your company if it means making my babies safer. Keep weeding the lavender!” At least, that’s what I believe her side of our conversation would have been like.
When I didn’t see a Little Mama utilizing the sanctuary of our small accommodation above the downspout this season, it made me wonder why. Had we somehow failed in our duty as protector and confidant to her and other Robins choosing to share this lofty spot and willing to nest within human habitat?
Not until the mild slapping of Robin’s wings against the opposite corner of the front of the house this morning did I realize that a Little Mama had decided to move in down the block; into a different neighborhood but in the same part of town.
I didn’t have to go check if my early morning theory was correct or not because I instinctively knew and understood what was happening on the other side of our bedroom wall. Despite COVID-19, isolation, the insanity in Washington D.C., the lack of being able to freely visit family and friends in person, the weight gain due to isolation, and every other reason we may have to be stressed-out and justifiably concerned, we are hosting important residents at our home again!
When the circle of life, or nature’s way of taking and giving back life to the earth, is broken, we lose the notion of totality, original perfection, eternity, and timelessness. The unbroken circle symbolizes the universe being sacred and devine and represents infinite nature of energy. If something dies, it gives new life to another. Our little feathered friend, or one of her offspring, has returned to us. This Little Mama will continue the important lesson of the continuity of life for the next generation to be able to understand how we are all connected and, no matter how big or small the circle is, it ends in the exact same way for all living things!
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
