More Babies

Last Saturday was a very windy day, so I moved my hanging basket from its hook and set it on the porch so it would not blow away. The next day, I went outside to water my plants, and I noticed a tiny egg nestled among the sunflowers the kids planted. I could not find a nest, and I had no idea where the egg had come from.

Later that evening, Josh stood on the wall of the porch and looked into my hanging basket. There, well hidden in the middle of my fuchsia, sat a perfectly made little nest with a matching egg inside it. I placed the other egg in the nest, but worried that the mama bird had abandoned the nest, because I had moved the plant the day before.

All day on Monday, I glanced out of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of a bird near the nest, but I saw nothing. Finally, in the evening, I thought about disposing of the nest so the eggs would not rot in my plant. However, when I climbed up and looked into the basket, I saw three tiny eggs instead of two!

Now, mama bird hangs out in the nest and sits on her eggs. We have identified the pair as house finches, and the male has pretty red feathers and a lovely song. I peered in the nest today, briefly, and counted six little eggs. I cannot wait until they hatch. I wonder if the mama bird will let me get close enough to see the babies or if she will defend them a little more than she has defended the eggs...