The Mama Bird

Last week I was weeding our retaining wall just off our patio.

In March, when you are supposed to trim ferns...well....

our weather was awful and the ferns didn't get trimmed.

These ferns are all volunteers and I love them.

So, I am out there cutting all the dear fern parts away and

being careful not to cut any new fronds. And I was pulling

whatever little weeds had crept into the rocks. You can

probably see the dead fern leaves on the ground.

As I moved over toward the left, a little bird was chatting

with me. I was also trimming up the knik-knik, which is the

long green stuff falling over the rocks. Really nice but you

have to keep it under control. And the birds chats on.

You may need to click this picture to see better. There is

a number 1 over to the left of the stairs. I was trimming

there as there was a huge section of knik-knik that had died.

So I yanked it out and to my dismay, I see a sweet little nest,

nestled in the rock, with precious little speckled eggs. It dawns

on me that the bird is the Mama Bird. OMG. Her nest was

still fairly well hidden but picked up chopped off knik-knik

and stuffed it back over the nest. I went inside and waited.

Finally Mama Bird goes back to the nest. I have checked

on her every day and she is still there. Thank goodness!!!

Then the other day, (if you can see the number 2 to the right

of the stairs), Mama Bird is after a chipmunk. Literally...she goes into

the big space between the rocks and pecks at him till out he comes.

He runs back in and she is after him again and chases him far away!!

She is such a good Mama Bird and I am so glad I am not a chipmunk!!

Till next time, be safe,

Annette