Our Garden: Home of the Chirps!

First off, Thank to all my friends who have been so supportive to me and praying for Seaums.  Thank you so much!  It means the world to me.  I've been emotional these last weeks and more so since Seamus' test results.  I've one diversion though.. the birds!

We were delighted when a pair of cardinals built a nest in our viburnum!  We've been seeing them both go in and out of the bush for a few weeks.  It seemed like a perfect nesting space, the bush is alongside the house, the garden has plenty of food and fresh water.   We even named them: the Chirps :)

Occasionally we would see a little head in the nest, we assumed it was the Mama deep in her nest.

Then...on Wednesday, I heard a weird bird call while I was sitting outside with my friend Linda.   Linda has chickens and she identified it as a baby call.  I thought the eggs hatched!  Yippee!

Thursday was a tough day.  I was taking Seamus to get his biopsy (we get the results next week).  Early on Thursday I noticed that both cardinals were at the nest, they seemed upset and I thought perhaps the sparrows had tried to attack their nest.  There was even a little bird standing on the edge of the nest.  I've been researching cardinals and know that a cardinal can take on a sparrow.  Is it possible the eggs hatched a while ago and that little head in the nest was one of the babies pearing up?   Why yes... and...Turns out there was only one baby.  Best to leave them to their job, and left to take Seamus to the animal hospital.

I was even more emotional after I dropped Seamus off.  I came home and decided to peek around the house and see how the cardinals were doing.  Ma and Pa Chirp were clearly upset and kept hoping around the ground and chirping.  And then I decided to go out and look...and sure enough, the baby had fallen down the window well at the base of viburnum.  He was struggling to fly out.   I burst into tears, and went to my neighbors.  

My neighbors calmed me and created a strategy to get the baby bird out.  I returned home, determined to help.  The window well was empty!!!  Ma, Pa, and Baby were sitting together a few feet away in the elderberry bush.  I'm taking this as a good omen for all of us, especially Seamus.

Since then, I've been privileged to be able to view the training of a fledgling.  It is AWESOME! I still have to water the garden (we've only had one brief shower once in three weeks) but I've been as respectful to the birds as I can.  Here is baby resting on the patio chair (or IN the patio chair).  We call him Fuzzy Wuzzy.

I said to the baby,  "Where is your mother?" and the male cardinal landed aside of him.  Now they have taken up the training in the upper bed of our garden, predominately in the rhododendron.  

You can see Fuzzy above the right chain.  He's the brown blob :).  I'm using my long lense on the camera to be respectful.  

The parents are always nearby and often sit with him wherever he is.  Here is Mama guarding above him..

I cannot tell you how what a joy it is to watch them do their job.  It's truly impressive to see how strong their instincts are and how well they take care of their baby.  

Seamus is doing well and on pain medication for a few days.  He sleeps a lot.  His recent bloodwork (just last Monday) shows he is now anemic.  We are praying for a treatable diagnosis.

His front paws were shaved for the IV.  On a lighter note, my neighbor said he looks like he is sporting UGG boots :)

Stay well and please keep Seamus in your prayers!

Hugs, Mickie