Watch the birdie - meet dad

After a week out of town on vacation, I thought for sure that I would see baby birds peaking out from a nest two birds constructed in a flower wreath on my front porch.

But, I returned to find that nothing had really changed. Eggs are still in the nest, and their mother is still sitting on them, flying off when startled of course.

I am still nervous. I want everything to be OK with my new neighbors, that is to say that I want to see happy and healthy baby birdies. If that happens, I feel like I can take a little bit of credit for giving Mother Nature a helping hand - or in this case, a helping porch.

I did manage to capture an image of papa bird. He was sitting on an attachment we use for a hanging basket right outside our front door. I had to sneak out the back door and slowly turn the corner of the house. I managed to snap a couple of pictures before the obviously camera-shy bird flew up to the top of a nearby tree in our yard. Mom and Dad always seem to fly up there when they get startled. 

I think it's nice that papa bird is sticking around. After all, he needs to help raise the family. We all know what happens when baby birds don't have a father figure in their lives.

Anyway, if you know what type of bird this is, I would appreciate you letting me know. Just post a comment at the end of the story. I appreciate all the responses I've gotten to my little situation, especially comments from Steven about eggs needing about two or three weeks before they hatch. If that is indeed the case, I hope to be reporting the birth of my baby birds very soon. Just keep looking for updates at www.havenews.com.

Ken Buday is the editor of the Havelock News.