Feathered House Guests

When my husband and I were building our home a couple years ago, we were surprised when we walked into our cellar and found something swoosh right by us.  At first we thought maybe a bird had gotten into the cellar by mistake, but after looking around for a bit, we found a beautiful bird’s nest!!  At this time, we were in the building stages, so the cellar was closed up, all except for the cellar windows which is why our little house guest built a nest on the beam of our cellar—it was dry, safe but not the most quiet spot to raise youngin’s.    While she was out, I grabbed a ladder and crawled up to find her little nest...amazing!

 

 Have a look inside…..how precious!!! 

For the next couple weeks, we left the windows open so that Momma could fly in and out and take care of her little babies.  The picture below is what I call a full nest--aren’t they just adorable??  Till this day, I’m not really sure what type of bird she was due to the fact that her eggs where white with brown spots; either way, she had the cutest little babies. 

 

Fast forward 6 years…I was shocked when I found another nest, but this time it belonged to robins and was outside.  It was a warm spring day, and while walking into my laundry room, a bird swooped by the window and flew away.  I thought to myself “wow that bird is awfully close to the house”, so I went about my laundry and didn’t give it a second thought.  The next day, I went into my laundry room again, not thinking about the bird, and once again that bird flew right by the window….so that got me thinking, “Do we have another nest out there somewhere?”  I dropped what I was doing immediately because after all, this is important!!!  I went outside and started looking around for a nest somewhere and sure enough…..……through my flower bed and in my little decorative pine bush!

And so a new journey began for me…….back inside I went to fetch my camera!   The pine bush is not very tall, probably only 5 feet, so I was able to get a good look at that gorgeous nest and the beautiful little turquoise eggs that filled it!  How cute!

 

 The nest was perfectly round and made with all sorts of things from the forest floor!  I admired the fact that they built this nest facing the house (more protection) and also because this spot had a wonderful canopy (the upper part of my shrub) which came in handy several days during this rainy season.  I found myself sneaking in the laundry room (and I do mean sneaking so I wouldn’t scare them away) and I would sit there and just watch them being parents.  The first thing I noticed was how the parents cared for their little eggs—taking turns guarding them and keeping them warm.  Once the eggs were hatched (which was only a couple weeks from when I actually found the nest), the parents were extremely busy out getting food for the new hatchlings.  Watching them  feed their young was such a riot!  Those babies were always hungry and there was one little guy who just sat there with his mouth open all the time!  Below is a picture of the full nest!

It was just a few short weeks and my little babies were gone.  This experience reminded me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This is a simple reminder for all of us that we need put our trust in God and not to worry;

He is in control and will provide.