The bird population in our yard has increased exponentially as several species of baby birds have fledged from their nests in the past two weeks. Their demanding shrieks fill the air from dawn to dusk! The adult birds spend the day searching for food and feeding their offspring who can fly but cannot forage for themselves. The House Finches who nested in the front yard have three little ones. I still have black sunflower seeds in the bird feeder and Father Finch leads the youngsters there for seed-opening demonstrations. He then does a drinking and bathing lesson in the bird bath.
Baby Robins chirp from the branches of our maple trees and Common Grackle babies screech on the lawn as they try to keep up with grub-seeking adults. I didn't have my camera when a Sharp-shinned Hawk landed on a post near the feeder while the three young finches sat together further down the same fence. They were oblivious to the mortal danger posed by the hawk and I fully expected to see a kill. But a pair of crows descended, mobbing the hawk until it flew off.
Goldfinches breed later in the season between late July and September. This pair is claiming our yard and hopefully, I will have the opportunity to watch their fledglings gain independence.
Our yard birds take about six weeks to complete their family duties, from egg-laying to fledgling independence. They face numerous risks during this time. Raising our children takes much longer and is equally rewarding and exhausting. Family units are vital and constantly change as younger generations gradually assume responsibility for parents and older relatives. Misunderstandings, controlling behaviours and resistance to change can create challenges and conflict. Illness and death have the potential to bring abrupt shifts, opening cracks in relationships that were previously hidden. Children need positive role models and support from extended families and their community to weather the ups and downs of life that we all experience.
My wise friend sent me this poem by Derek Mahon (1941-2020), an influential modern Irish poet. She wrote,
"Among the poets I am teaching today, is Derek Mahon, an Irish poet from Belfast. During the pandemic, the northern Irish TV news featured, at the end of the evening broadcast, a clip of Mahon reading his poem, "Everything is Going to be All Right." I wanted to share it with you."
This morning I contemplated recent losses and challenges in our circle of family and friends. It is easy to sink into a disheartened and disillusioned state of mind. As I sat on the deck with my cup of tea and watched the birds, I knew too that "everything is going to be all right".
My small, respectful edit of the poem's beginning would be
How should I not be glad to contemplate
the clouds clearing above the rooftop shingles
and the bird songs echoing in the dawn mist?...
Everything is going to be all right
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