The Empty Nest

This morning the bluebird parents were still feeding the six baby bluebirds in the white bluebird house on the right of the swing arbor. This afternoon I noticed no bluebirds bringing food (worms) to the bluebird house so I opened up the house and discovered that the babies had flown away. One year I was lucky enough to get to watch the first flights. What a scarry endeavor that was. It was like watching a World War I fighter pilot going down after being hit. I found myself screaming at them: "Pull up, pull up, you are going to crash!" Meanwhile the bluebird parents were screetching their little bird heads off at their fledging babies: "Chirp, chirp, chirp! You can do it. Go up, go up, go up! Chirp, chirp, chirp!" I now will have to remove the nest and wash out the house with dishsoap and water and let it air dry in the sun. Then it will be ready for a new family of bluebirds. And as they say on that TV show if only walls could talk, we would have quite a bluebird story.