Last summer, we were surprised to find a couple of very odd
birds hanging out right by our driveway.
Every time somebody would walk by them on the sidewalk, the birds would
run away and act as though their wings were broken. After a bit of research, we realized that
these birds were called Killdeer, and they use this act to entice you away from
their eggs. These birds will put on a
crazy show to get the predator away from their nest. If only they were smart enough to not lay
their eggs in such a vulnerable spot. Like the middle of our parkway.
Our
kids became attached the birds quickly, and named them Popcorn and Polly. We would watch out the window as the birds
would take turns keeping their eggs warm.
At one point we watched as one sat in the hail and rain to protect the
eggs. It was quite the show of
parenthood that left me impressed, and wanting to somehow build a shelter to
protect them even more. Of course, we
could only sit back and watch nature take its course.
Over
the period of about a month we kept a watchful eye on the Killdeer’s four
little eggs, and we anticipated the day when they would finally hatch.
Unfortunately, the day came when we found the eggs destroyed and the parents
screeching over the loss of their babies.
It was a moment that I won’t soon forget. With each screech I wanted to
somehow convey to the little Killdeer birds that I knew their pain. That I know
what it’s like to lose a child, but of course it is silly to try and tell that
to a bird.
With
that experience not far from my mind, I was a bit disappointed when this spring
we found a Robin’s nest in our hanging planter by our front door. I couldn’t even fathom having to go through that
experience again, and hoped beyond all hopes that these little birdies would
make it. One of the major worries was
that this particular hanging planter would typically fall if the wind blew too
hard. With each storm we would watch with worry as the planter would sway back
and forth, but would somehow hold strong. Finally, one day those little eggs
hatched, and not long after that we could see the babies’ heads poking out on
top of the nest.
Several
weeks later we came home from a vacation to find the babies perched on the top
of their nest. They stretched their
wings, and looked around nervously. Finally, they were startled and jumped out
of the only place they had ever known.
They hopped and flew, hopped and flew until they got the hang of it. At that moment, we
knew that at least for now, they had made it.
We knew that even though sometimes things don’t work out the first time,
there is always hope for the second time.
We learned that with those bad things, hope can show up
unexpectedly. It can even show up on
your doorstep.
