Sometimes, you witness simple moments that provoke a deep appreciation for life. About a month ago, a bird's nest appeared nestled in the branches of one of our trees. I had a perfect view of the nest from my work desk. This was the first time my parents or myself had seen a bird's nest that up close. After trying for minutes on end to find the type of bird it was online, all I can say is that the mama bird looked something like a red-crested cardinal:
PC: Utah Birds
except the mama bird had black/dark brown feathers whereas the cardinal above has grey feathers.
Initially, all we could see in the nest were three small eggs. The mama would fly over often to sit on the eggs and protect her hatchlings. A little bit of time passed and my dad exclaimed that the eggs had hatched. From my desk, I barely could see the hatchlings. I'd see their little heads pop up periodically. It was crazy to see their eyes, which literally looked sealed shut.
Although there were three eggs from the start, only one hatchling ended up surviving. At one point, there were two. I'd see them entangled around each other; it almost looked like they were wrestling. I'd find myself staring at the nest often, waiting for the lone hatchling to move. Sometimes, it would tilt its head back and open its tiny beak as wide as possible, waiting for its parents to drop a little critter into its mouth.
The nest! In between the two glass panes.
Only a week or so went by, yet the hatchling was growing so fast. Before I knew it, it was developing feathers and lightly fluttering its wings. It's eyes had opened and it was starting to make soft chirps. The day it finally flew from its nest to another branch in the tree was an exciting one. Then all of a sudden, I see the hatchling hanging out on a branch adjacent to its nest.
One particular day, night time was approaching, and my dad and I could not see the hatchling in its nest or anywhere in the tree. It's parents were chirping like crazy, flying from our roof to the nest every so often to search the ground more closely. My dad and I went outside, and surely enough, the hatchling had fallen to the ground and was unable to fly back up! My dad tried for a while to get the hatchling back in its nest. This was a feisty bebe he was dealing with. The hatchling somehow had a piece of branch stuck on its foot. My dad carefully removed the branch and luckily got the hatchling back in its nest. We went back into the house, happy that the hatchling was safe and warm.
Can you spot the hatchling? (Hint: top right, below the first glass pane)
The hatchling continued to grow quickly until it was time to leave the nest. It felt weird to turn my head and see an empty nest. I realized how accustomed I had become to the hatchling's chirps, as well as those of its parents. Even now, I'll look at the nest from my desk and wonder how the hatchling is doing– if it might bring up its own hatchling in the nest it once occupied.
That was quite a long story, but witnessing the birth and eventual departure of the hatchling left me feeling some type of way. It made me realize how fast time flies and how, in our daily lives, we often forget to take a step back and appreciate the little things in the life. For example, the smell of coffee waking you up in the morning. Or, feeling the breeze touch your skin while driving during sunset.
And that is how a little hatchling reminded me to appreciate the little things in life.
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