Mama And Baby Bird
A tree in my yard has grown tall enough to approach some overhead wires, so I started trimming it back. A few weeks ago I climbed my ladder and a bird I hadn't noticed took off. The takeoff point was less than a meter from my face so it was startling. I thought "oh, a bird, OK" and went about my business. It didn't occur to me to think about the fact local birds usually keep much greater distance.
The next day I climbed the ladder to continue trimming, and was startled again by a nearby bird. Once may have been a random bird that happened to perch on a tree, twice in the same place is not a coincidence. I looked closer and finally noticed a nest with an egg within. Oh no, I had interrupted a very important project!
Mama bird had stayed with her well-camouflaged nest as long as she could, but when I got within arm's reach it was too much for her. That's why she took off so close to my face. Sadly, my trimming meant her nest wasn't as well camouflaged as it used to be. I couldn't exactly glue those branches back on, but I could pause my trimming until she finishes her project.
I've read that some prospective mother birds would abandon a nest if it proved too dangerous, and I was worried it might happen here. Next day I was happy to see she had returned, now that I know where to look and know to keep my distance. I pulled out my big zoom lens and took this picture from 5-6 meters away.
Over the following weeks I checked in on mama bird daily. She was not happy with my tree trimming and erected additional camouflage to mitigate my damage. That made it more difficult to see her but hopefully provided some protection against predators. I hadn't trimmed the tallest branches yet so she still had decent overhead coverage against other birds, but I was worried about cats in the neighborhood who could now better see the nest from ground level.
Due to mama bird's new additions and the fact I kept my distance, it was hard to know if her project was progressing. Her perch position seem to change as time went on, but I couldn't see anything definitive. Besides, if that egg had hatched, it would make sense for her to sit shielding her baby from the exposed side of the nest.
But eventually I saw baby bird sitting on the "dangerous" side of the house, prompting me to pull out my camera equipment again for this family photo. Less than a week after this picture, my daily check of the nest found it empty. It remained empty every day for a week. I hope the family voluntarily moved on to a safer home, but I will never know for sure. Either way, they're gone now so I resumed trimming my tree.