A Mama Junco’s Nest

Every summer since I have lived in this sweet little house, a Mama Junco has made a nest in one of my flower pots. I don't know how I didn't notice her weaving the delicate tiny home this year, but I didn't. It was just all of a sudden there. Unfortunately, (for me) she chose the flower pot that sits next to the door that I use to come and go from the house, and it was the only pot that was blooming beautifully and holding up to a hot summer with little rain.

I would start talking or singing whenever I got close to her nest, so I didn't scare her. It was a fair warning for both of us, as she had a habit of screaming and flying right at my head if I startled her. One day, preoccupied with an arm full of groceries, I forgot to tell her I was coming, and she flew out of the flower pot and into the garage when I opened the door. So, I pushed the button to open the large overhead door, hoping she would fly out. The poor little Mama must have been in a total panic, and she flew right into it, getting stuck between the panels before falling into a heap on the garage floor. Her little wings looked mangled, she pooped her pants, and lay there, unmoving, staring straight ahead.

I thought she was dead until I saw her try to move her wing. The only thing I could think to do was to put her body back in the nest and let her die with her babies. She let me pick her up, and I gently moved her wings back beside her body. I put her little face next to mine and whispered that I was sorry I scared her, and asked her to please pull it together and not die. After a few minutes, she seemed to be snapping out of it! I couldn't believe it when she straightened out her leg and shook her little head, and stumbled out of my hands and back into my flower pot.

It had been a long day, and I was tired and so happy not to have the death of a Mama Junco weighing on my heart. In the weeks that followed, she and I had a better rhythm with our comings and goings. She wasn't as afraid of me, and I made sure she was somewhere safe when I opened the garage door. Before long, the cutest, ugliest babies hatched, and she took such good care of them.

I saw them fly/jump out of the nest for their first time, and she chirped away from a nearby perch, guiding them to a safe place as any doting Mama would.

What a joy it was to watch this all unfold. As always, I am in awe of how nature both enlightens and entertains me right here in my backyard.

The flowers in the flower pot have withered, and all that remains is that little nest in the middle. I walk by it every day, and it's been a gentle reminder that, of course, it was time for them to fly.