Meet the Phoebe Family

One of the great joys of my visit to the ranch in Alabama's Hurricane Valley last month was watching the progress of a  nest-full of newly-hatched Phoebe birds.

    Here are Mom and Dad Phoebe surveying their kingdom, on the hunt for bugs every waking hour of the day.

Looks like Dad found some kind of juicy little morsel...

"Over here, Dad!"

No wonder Mom and Dad are so busy!  Apparently there are three little beaks to feed in the sweet little nest perfectly nestled into the corner of the front porch eaves!

A new day has dawned and it looks like Mom found an especially delectable winged thing for breakfast...

Dozens and dozens of bugs later, it looks like this nest is getting a little too cozy.  No pushing in the back!

Another day goes by and babies are spilling out over the edges. Wait, what's this? I'm counting FIVE hungry beaks to feed!

Good thing Mom and Dad have boundless energy and the meadow has boundless bugs.  Back to work, Mom!

You must be so proud of your beautiful family...

On our last morning at the ranch we awoke to find the nest empty.  There was a tiny tug at my heartstrings as I clearly remembered the feeling of having my own nest suddenly empty as my son flew down the road with a brand new driver's license and wheels instead of wings. It's a very sweet and precious sorrow.