So, yesterday I was on the phone with my very best friend in the whole wide world of 19ish years, Kim. We hardly ever get to talk anymore since we both went back to work this year. Well, I hesitate in calling what I do "work", but I'm away from home 3 days a week. Let's put it that way.
Anyway, Carter was on the couch sick with step throat, Hunter & Parker were playing in the back yard. Hunter comes running in, shouting something about Parker in a tree & baby birds.
Not a good sign.
I went outside (phone still in hand) and my eyes landed on a very sad looking tiny figure, squirming around on the trampoline. Parker was stuck up in a tree, holding another such figure.
Me to Kim: "Oh my, Oh heavens, Oh no, Oh dear. Papi, I have to call you back..."
Me to the kids: "What did you do???????!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Hunter: "We heard these babies crying in the their nest because their mommy abandoned them."
Me: "Honey, they just hatched. Their mommy probably went to look for some worms for them!"
Hunter: "Oh no, what have we done? Now she won't take care of them because we touched them! We didn't know! We didn't know!"
Parker (still in the tree holding the poor, helpless bird): "Help me! Help me!"
I instructed the boy to put the bird back in its nest very, very carefully. Then to get out of the tree. After I spent the next 5 minutes trying to figure out how to get the other baby back in the nest, I ended up putting it in a sand bucket, sending Parker back into the tree and having him lift the bird out and back into the next.
O. My. Gosh.
All I have to say is that there is a mommy bird weeping somewhere. I actually think I heard her when we were trying to get them back in the nest. I don't have the heart to go back and check and I hope the kids don't either because they will be devastated if they find the little babies not alive in there.
What a harsh lesson.
1 comment:
:(
oh, and I found out from the wildlife center here that you CAN put them back in the nest. Uh, for next time.
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