I love nests. I am always in awe of how mother birds become architects in spring. They are clever and resourceful in both design and location. One spring after a major house remodel, I was delighted to see bits of pink insulation and snips of blue and green electrical wire wound around a nest in the crook of the saguaro in my front yard. Another year I watched a hummingbird use her beak to carefully detach a spider web from the pool railing, carry the web to the pine tree, and wind it around her nest.
When I was little my mom saved a nest from a poplar tree. The power company sent out a crew to trim the tree which was interfering with the power lines. As the trimmers were working, they cut down a branch with a nest in it. One of the trimmers knocked on the door and asked my mom if she wanted the nest in case the mother bird was looking for it. The nest seemed newly constructed. She said she did and saved the nest in a closet. The next year the crew was back to trim again. This time they found baby birds that had fallen out of a tree. They couldn’t find a nest. She said, ” Why yes, I have a nest!” She quickly went to the shelf in the closet and got down the nest. They placed the eggs in the nest and put the nest back in a tree.
In May one year a quail mother decided the tall geranium pot on the back porch was the perfect spot for a nest. When she left for a few minutes I would tiptoe out to count the speckled eggs. I was surprised one day to see a line of quail make a procession to hop up to the pot and visit with her as she sat on her nest. It’s like the quail were having a baby shower for her. When the eggs hatched, the pot was too tall for the chicks to hop out. The parents were nearby but distressed. I called Liberty Wildlife Center and they said it was fine to touch them with my bare hands. Those chicks move fast! It was not easy to catch them. Their warm fuzzy little bodies seemed so transient as I quickly scooped them up and set them on the ground. Two of them lost their way and didn’t catch up with their parents. I took them in a towel-lined box to the rescue center.
The next day at the tea ceremony after yoga class, my instructor proudly announced that I was the mother of 13 kids. The other students had puzzled faces as they looked at me. I enjoyed this for a moment and then told them my kids were quail chicks!
Another year I rescued a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest. I drove to the Liberty Wildlife Center in 105 degrees without the a/c on and the baby bird wrapped in a towel. They smiled at my baby bird and said, “That’s a curve-billed thrasher!” (At that time I had no idea what kind of bird that was. Now this cheerful singer is a character in my children’s mystery.) They asked if I had the nest. I’d picked it up but didn’t take it with me. They said I could keep the nest in case another bird needed it. If you find a nest, save it. You never know when a bird might need it!