Why is looking inside a birds nest so intriguing? My boy's climbed to the top of one of our cherry trees last year to look inside a tiny Finch nest...they didn't realize there was a baby bird inside. Of course it spooked the poor, helpless, little thing right out of it's nest. We tried to "mother" it. We borrowed a cage, put an old nest inside, mashed up worms, and fed it a mixture of baby rice and water with a dropper...we even took it to the vet to see if they could help... it lived for a few days, and then sadly, died.
Today, my boys were out exploring once again. They found another nest...this time in our new barn/garage. We've been watching the mother bird build the nest and so we knew the nest was there. Over the last few days we have seen her come and go with food in her mouth, so we knew that the eggs had hatched...if you listened carefully you could hear little peeping sounds when the mother would come with food for them.
My boys wanted to see the babies...it wasn't enough to hear them, they had to see them...and so they set up a latter inside the barn and climbed up into the rafters...of course they couldn't just stop there, one of them had to poke the nest with a stick, which frightened the little babies. With Will Jaye poking the nest with a stick up top, (I'm not sure if he was just trying to get a better view of them or if he was trying to scare them out) and Wyatt down below, waiting to catch them when and if they fell, they figured that their little plan was bullet proof, a sure-fire way for them to see these newly hatched babies. The babies "freaked out" as Wyatt put it and then fell from the nest...two landed on top of Wyatt's head, and they third he was able to catch in his hands. The two that landed on his head died of course instantly...the one he caught, well, let's just say it was a great catch!
I was furious when I caught the kids with the birds in their hands. I think they were trying to figure out what to do with them before mom caught them.
I asked them what they thought that mother bird was probably thinking right now. I asked them, "How do you think your mom would feel if she came home and found three of her children gone!?!" It really bothered them...especially Wyatt. I made them bury the little birds in the back yard and asked them what they thought Heavenly Father must be thinking. Needless to say, I think they will be more careful when they see a bird nest.
We took care of the sweet, but very awkward, and not so cute, little bird for the next few days...Sadly, it too died. I guess our version of mashed-up catipillars, and worms needed a mother birs touch.
I have tried to teach my children to value life. A common quote in our house..."If you kill it you eat it!" The kids know when dad hunts, it's just as much for the meat as it is for the sport. They know that we mean business too. One time, for sport, my boys thought that it would be funny to strap fire-crackers onto grasshoppers, light them and watch them explode. I reminded them that grasshoppers are still one of Gods creations, and that they would have to eat them...Apparently, they taste like chicken! The thought of eating grasshoppers, at first grossed them out...however, it wasn't long after, at a primary activity, that I was informed by the primary president that my child, Wyatt, was the entertainment...apparently he was showing the other children how yummy grasshoppers really were. (Well at least I know when there is nothing else to eat, I won't have to worry about them...they will eat just about anything...especially when it might gross someone else out!)
Kids...gotta love them!!!
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