It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop.

-Wisdom of Confucius

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Saturday, 9 June 2012

The Robin Neighbourhood: Part 2



“…The Nest?”

Where’s the nest, where’s the nest? There must be a nest! It should be on that tree, close to our house. The two robins must’ve been protecting a nest! Guess that was wrong… We sat down on the couch and turned on the T.V. Whoosh! What… was… that?! The leaves by the window rustled. There was a great commotion in the house as we went to check. By the time we got there, everything was normal. However, the bird was a tad late, as we saw the robin fly away. The tripod was taken out and the camera was set. Through the humongous glass window, there laid a grand tree, so close that even the twigs are brushing the window. There! Just about 2 feet away, there was a basket made out of twigs and sticks, which we humans call nests. Just to be sure, we stood on a stool and peered over the nest. Two tiny heads came out…



“The Babies”

Ugly. That was the first thing that came into my mind. They weren’t fully fledged yet, leaving lots of bald spots. They had a dirty, orange-ish, yellow-ish colour, kid of like the pee that comes out in the mornings. And the eyes! Oh, what horrid eyes! They were just so small, not at all matching their big bodies. The black of their eyes weren’t the shiny, metallic black, but the dull, flat and lifeless type. Their bellies aren’t even red! They were white! Their feathers were all ruffled up, making a messy approach.



“The Wait”

They squirmed around fluffing their tiny weak bodies. Both were pushing each other down and stretching their mini beaks in unknown anticipation. There’s a blur of black and red that came surging from the trees. The mother is back, the mother is back! By now, the two chicks were stretching their beaks so hard, propelling themselves up with one another and straining their equivalent to a neck, trying to reach the prize. A worm. The mother calmly chewed the worm and gave half of it to the chick closest to her. Then, she gave the rest to the other one. Never hurry, never worry. The chicks were ducked down, only their ugly backs showed. There feathers still growing, which made them exceptionally ugly. The mother was still waiting. Shouldn’t she be going off, trying to catch more worms? What was she waiting for?



“Secrets”

The wait didn’t take long for the mystery to unravel. The babies were finally finished chewing and swallowing their food. However, the process of eating wasn’t finished yet. One of the babies stuck up his butt and his mother leaned forward. Time turned slow again as the mom opened her mouth. Her eyes seemed knowing what will happen is going to be horrible. Her beak was getting closer to the babies bottom. It’s tail and rump feathers ruffled. Soon the mother’s beak as right at the baby’s behind and… an egg came out! Wait, no. That’s not an egg! It’s a poop sack! The mom took it in her mouth and did the unimaginable thing. She chewed the poop and swallowed. She ate the poop. After that, she took flight and left. 2 bird mysteries were discovered. 1. How do birds keep their nest so clean? (Mothers eat the poop) And 2. When do baby birds poo? (Only after they eat)   



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