The cat came back

There is a song that was written many years ago with words that go something like this:

"The cat came back.......he didn't stay away
The cat came back........the very next day"

When I went to bed on Sunday night, the two remaining baby birds were fine. At midnight I went out by flashlight to check on them and found that they were okay. However, when I got up Monday morning, the nest was empty.

While I am sorry that this blog is ending this way, it is a good example of the cycle of life. Last year the birds in the nest that I photographed grew to maturity and did just fine. This year however, a predator was able to get to this nest. There are many great lessons that we can learn from this experience, perhaps one of them being that many things happen that are out of our control. Perhaps this lesson alone has been of value to us all.

Thank you for looking into this blog.

I thot I thaw a puddy tat....I did I did I did

A steady rain kept the nest quiet for most of the morning but when I went to check the nest in the early afternoon on Monday I was surprised to find only two babies. Both of them were hungry and anxious to eat.


I decided to check the bush and the ground to see if I could find the third baby. My thoughts were that just maybe one had fallen out of the nest and was on the ground and that just maybe I could save it. To my amazement I saw a cat snuggled at the base of the bush. After taking a picture, I chased the cat away and now will have to keep my eye open for his return. The next couple of weeks could be long.


A few minutes later Puddy Tat was sitting on a neighboring bank thinking through strategy.

When is supper served?

At 6 PM on Sunday night I checked on the new arrivals and found them eager to be served supper.

Life begins

I took one final look to see if the third egg had hatched late Saturday night. The two new babies were resting and the egg was intact


The first thing I did on Sunday morning was to go out to check the nest and once again I was rewarded by finding the third baby laying in the nest.



Meanwhile the mother is watching me closely to see if everything is alright. She does not seem to be overly concerned with the attention that I am giving to the nest.

Two eggs hatch

I had checked the nest this morning and posted that there was no change. Now at 6:30PM I checked the nest and two tiny little birds are hatched. They are cute and ugly at the same time. Already when I pull the bush back to sneak the camera inside, they are opening their mouths for food. Hopefully the third egg will hatch soon.

Amazingly, the mother is very tolerant of me being around the bush this evening. I thought that once the babies had hatched, she might try to scare me off. I believe she remembers me from last year and knows that I will do no harm to the babies.

No change

It is a beautiful Saturday morning in Virginia and I have checked the nest to find no change. The parents continue to watch my moves each time I check anywhere near the bush.

Since I first discovered the eggs, it has been 9 full days. This means that most likely the babies should hatch the first of the week and no later than Thursday. we will see.

Still waiting

There is no change at the Mockingbird nest.....just three cute little eggs laying there perfectly still. Mother or Father Mockingbird let me know they are watching each time I check.

On Tuesday, the shrubs and bushes are scheduled to be pruned and I plan to be standing guard to make sure this bush does not get disturbed. I hope they come around when I am here.