Watching the females building their nests so carefully and doing such a fantastic job constructing such cozy and safe little niches in which to lay their eggs is a lesson in  preparedness. Only once that nest is absolutely perfect  will the female even consider welcoming her mate and beginning the nesting process. Until that time she is adamant that he await her summons, and he invariably  manages to maintain his patience until she gives the signal. Not without signs of impatience from time to time, but he does heed her wishes. Truthfully, she gives him no other choice.  During mating season there is no question who is in charge.

 Watching the process frankly amazes me. Seeing these tiny wee gals laying eggs which seem far too large for their small frames worried me at first but they have all  accomplished this with aplomb. And repeated the same process each and every morning until  the desired number of eggs were filling that nest. The patience shown by these wee gals as they sit hour after hour keeping those eggs warm and safe is a lesson in itself. And only then does the male show his true colours.

 Once the laying has reached its conclusion the serious business of incubation begins. Mom is very protective of her treasures and seldom leaves them. Only when necessity demands that she relieve herself does she leave that nest and  then the most amazing thing happens. Daddy takes over. He actually gets into the nest and gingerly positions himself to assure the eggs stay warm. At first he is cautious, and receives explicit instructions from Mommy  as to how to manoeuvre himself into position ( it is blatantly obvious that she is issuing instructions and quite amusing to watch) but he very quickly becomes an expert. In no time at all he is as comfortable doing it as she is herself. In fact as time passes he becomes so comfortable that Mommy often has to almost push him out of the nest when she is ready to return. We have had many chuckles watching that little tableau unfold.

 And it never varies. Each Mother and Father follows the same procedure, and with no instructions or training before deciding to become parents. And darn good ones ! Nature's instincts are a miracle, there is no other explanation.

 It even  goes so far as to have Mommy being very circumspect as to where she relieves herself. Where normally this might be anywhere within the cage, during nesting time one specific spot is selected and the rest of that cage stays absolutely pristine. Daddy is not as careful but he tries as well. Cleaning the cage during nesting time is a breeze. One more amazing part of this process.

 And Daddy deserves recognition as well for how well he looks after Mommy and his  future babies. As Mommy doesn't like to leave them and only rarely even takes time to exercise or feed herself, Daddy feeds Mommy  and never leaves her side. And once those eggs hatch he joins Mommy in feeding them non stop until they leave the nest and are eating on their own. Even then he watches like a hawk to be sure they progress to solid food  only when the time is right and  if an adventurous baby decides to switch from the soft food dish to grown up seed before the time is right he very quickly administers a scolding which would make even me pay attention. Amazing. And, the final proof of their wisdom is that they know exactly when to let go and when it is time to allow their children to fly free, independent in their own right.

 What this has done  to my thinking about those feathered creatures who do not have the advantage of the safety of a cage, food provided, and even nesting materials made available, has led me to give a great deal more thought to what  these little feathered wonders must contend with when they undertake the daunting adventure of parenthood. In addition to the other challenges they face, they have the added  problems of weather conditions, and most threatening of all, the predators who seek out  their havens  to scavenge and destroy. And yet they succeed, year after year.

 Because of our appreciation of the difficulty of the undertaking we have become even more conscientious about doing our best to provide whatever assistance we can to these stalwart lttle beings. We provide the safest housing we can find in which, if they choose they can construct their nest, positioned to make it as close to impossible as we can for predators to get at their nests, and make certain the feeding stations are always full and inviting. Because the habits have become so ingrained the past few years it isn't unusual to see either Les or I outdoors  slogging through the snow in our backyard to refill feeders for the hardy souls who winter with us rather than heading southward. They may not be nesting but they do require assistance in finding sustenance if life is to be at least tolerable for them. As a result, we do have the pleasure of their company on the dreariest of days.

 Between feeding the birds and seeing that the squirrels who live with us also have peanuts we certainly are never lonely ! If I happen to be a bit late with the peanuts my little gray friend comes right up to the deck sliding door and  almost raps to remind me. He will stand on his haunches, place his front paws on the window pane of the door and patiently wait to be noticed. Invariably he brings a smile to my face when I see him there. Les tells me he thinks I would run out of bread and milk, and maybe even coffee, before I'd run out of peanuts. And you know what .. I think he is probably right ! After all, if my little friend is prepared to  deal with a snowstorm to come visit, the very least I can do is offer him nourishment. 

 As you can see I do love God's little creatures. Giving to them is as rewarding as giving to needy humans. And they give back so much. Just being privileged to be allowed to share their trust is a miracle in itself. After all, they have learned not to trust us with good reason. So many of us have proven to them that we are a danger as surely as any predator. Knowing we have earned their trust makes it all more than worthwhile.

I sometimes wonder if they might not have a great deal to teach us if we only took the time to pay attention. As parents I doubt we come even close to doing the job as well. I know as preservers of their habitat, to our shame in this modern world of ours, we leave a very great deal to be desired.