Remember
a few weeks ago when I was watching that robin’s nest for you from a walkway
window in an office complex? Just as we were reaching hatching time, the parent
birds abandoned the nest, and the baby chicks never showed up. I drew the
conclusion that the eggs must have been stolen by local predators or something.
Well,
I figured that was about it. The end of the story. Thank you very much. Good
night. Maybe next year.
As
days went by, I occasionally peered wistfully at that nest, wishing things had
gone differently. Yet the nest remained abandoned. Once or twice I saw a
sparrow hanging out near it, or taking some bits and pieces of twigs from it,
but that was it.
As a series of
storms blew through, the nest became more and more dilapidated. It’s like any
other structure. If no one is around to do the maintenance and upkeep jobs, it
quickly falls into disrepair. More than that, the winds must have given it a
battering because its angle became more and more perilous. It began to look
like it was barely hanging onto its little nook. I thought another storm or two
and it will be gone. If not, the first snows of winter will destroy it in a few
months. Either way, that’s that.
Then
the other day I was walking down the same walkway and – lo and behold! – a
magpie was lounging around in the little nest! To be honest, it looked just a
little silly because the nest was about 2 sizes too small for this big bird
whose head and tail feathers extended a good inch or more beyond the edge of
the nest on either side. But the bird didn’t seem to mind.
For
a moment, I thought I was going to see some little baby magpies, although it
was kind of hard to imagine how. The magpie’s eggs must be bigger than the
robin’s, given the difference in size of the actual birds. But this wasn’t the
case after all. I did a little reading and found out magpies have a specific
routine for their nest building practices with both parents playing a role.
They don’t seem to be known for taking over other birds’ nests that I could
see. They also have a favorite design. Their nests are usually shaped like deep
bowls.
This
magpie simple plopped down, stuck his head under his wing and snoozed awhile.
Later, when I peeked at the nest again, he was gone and he hasn’t been back. As
near as I can figure, he must have seen this deserted nest and thought this
would be a great place for a little vacation.
It
just goes to show, Mother Nature always has a trick up her sleeve. She also
doesn’t believe in waste. Even a crumbling, abandoned nest can be put to good
use.
Now,
I’m going to follow the magpie’s example and grab a little vacation myself
(although not in a robin’s nest!). I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with lots
more stories to tell!
Photo by Alan D. Wilson
Comments