Emotions almost never get the best of the old guy, he’s got no time for this needless waste of energy. But this time last year it happened. Insider had noticed a certain Cardinal hard at work building a nest directly out his back door tucked neatly within a large bush. The bird was working hard bringing back branches and leaves to build a nice comfortable nest. Insider kept watching the bird work diligently over the next few days, careful to keep a distance as to allow the work to continue. Within a week or so, the old guy noticed a couple eggs had appeared in that magnificent nest. Insider kept looking out each morning and seeing the two eggs and wondering when the babies would appear. So much so the kitchen furniture was rearranged to provide a prime view. That sequence was repeated this year when the last couple weeks and yesterday the babies were born.
The old guy is careful not to upset the parents of the proud little ones, but he keeps a close eye on them at the same time. Each morning they are there – slow to make any movements sans the few heartbeats. This is the highlight of Insider’s year. He will watch over them the next couple weeks. What transpires is simply amazing. It’s the cycle of life. Nearby the mom and dad birds will stand by keeping a watchful eye on them with the mom usually staying behind to keep them warm at night. Every once in a while Insider will catch the mom or dad with a worm in their mouth swooping in to feed their young, who will soon start to chirp mightily for their meals. Usually the strong one is first to greet the parent with the worm while the other chirps idly by to no avail. It will continue like this for weeks until they get strong enough and are able to fly off.
Insider relishes this experience. As the days pass and the chirping became more frequent, Insider knows it’s only a matter of time before there will be an empty nest. When that happened last year, the old guy was sad. It was tough to digest at first, but it was the cycle of life at work and that’s a wonderful thing. In years past, Insider has watched this and become heartbroken to find a dead little bird near the nest, a casualty of thinking it could fly too early or maybe just a family accident with the gravest of consequences.
Until the day when they fly their separate ways, Insider will sit by and grow attached to the family who is squatting on his property. It’s an experience the old guy cherishes each year and he is not afraid to admit when the day comes for them to move on and the nest is empty, which will likely come any day, it gets him a little emotional.