The Cardinal Couple

​            When I retired from Keep Fremont Beautiful, one gift I received was a beautiful hanging basket filled with some sort of green trailing plant. I kept it alive over that first winter and brought it back outside the following summer. Amazingly I kept it alive over the second winter and brought it out once again and hung it in its place, in the breezeway, right in front of the kitchen window. 
            The breezeway isn’t exactly a breezeway. It’s more a combination breezeway that opens up into the patio.  Half breezeway – half patio. The plant did well by the kitchen window. The plant didn’t like direct sunlight but it got plenty of indirect light and thrived in that protected environment.  
​             It wasn’t long before the hanging basket caught the attention of a cute cardinal couple. They must have liked the protective aspect of the part breezeway, part patio construction of my house.
            The couple made several visits to the basket – whizzing in and out – checking on things in a flurry of feathers and red streaks back and forth. Pretty soon it was just the female who was whizzing in and out of the basket – the male would lazily stop by from time to time but the female was possessed.  
 ​            I told the kids that I had some crazy crack cardinals stashing their drugs in my hanging basket. I also told them that maybe they were building a nest.
​            It turned out to be a nest.  When the mama was out looking for building materials, I would step out and snap a picture of her progress. I marveled at the building skills of that little mother – she was working feverishly to get the nursery complete before her baby’s arrival.  
​            I was thrilled when the first egg was laid. I was a little put out with the crack cardinal mom for not sitting on her egg but later found out she wouldn’t start sitting on the eggs until she was done laying them.  So, she would come and go and I would continue to snap pictures in her absence. 
​            A couple of the eggs were significantly larger than the others – really larger than the others and I wondered how that could happen.  I mean seriously – how did a little cardinal lay such big eggs – that had to hurt. Maybe she was off sitting in the birdbath during those long absences from the nest – I know I had to sit in a tub after giving birth to Sara at 8 lbs. 10 ounces… but maybe birds were more resilient…  there is so much I don’t know.
​            Anyway - I posted the progress on my Facebook page and even shared my concerns about the babies when Mommy and Daddy were gone from home. What if a cat happened by or some other creature raided the nest – my concerns continued to grow. I thought maybe it was my fault that they were absent so often.  If I was making too much noise in the kitchen, I would see Mama bird bolt from the nest.   When we made eye contact and I held the gaze for a second too long, off she would fly.     
​             I thought it best to protect their privacy from the giant lurking beyond the window (me) and hung a little table runner cloth thingy to block the lower portion of their view.  I did keep a slight opening for me to peep on their progress.  It was a little better but Mama bird would still get spooked when we acted all human and made too much noise. 
​            One morning as I was standing at the sink, I noticed a large black/brown bird come perch on the hook of the basket.  The bird peered down into the nest and then noticed me and retreated. It was at that time, that I went out and snapped a picture of the nest and learned that there were five eggs and two were so much larger than the rest. I recall thinking that I was glad I had frightened the invading bird away – I saved the eggs.  
​            The Mama Cardinal calmed a smidgeon with the laying of the five eggs and determined it was time to take her place at the nest. It was nearly two weeks before the babies began to peck their way out of their shells. I would take a progress shot with my phone whenever I noticed the parents were out gathering food for the babies. It appeared to me that all the eggs had hatched. I was delighted.
​            Sadly, a baby disappeared. I began to suspect the bird I had seen lurking around earlier in the nesting and egg laying process. I hadn’t seen that bird again but that didn’t mean it hadn’t returned, after all, a bird had gone missing.  
​            I had another opportunity to take a photo when the parents were absent and I documented three open mouths.  So now numbers four and five were missing.  
​            The feeding frenzy continued for several days.  The parents were continually speeding off to find snacks for their hungry offspring, and just as quickly returned to the nest with pieces of “things” I couldn’t identify. The babies gobbled up the mystery meals and wanted more.
​            As I was making coffee one morning, I noticed that the babies were alone in the nest – their necks stretched upwards waiting for a magical meal to be dropped from above. I could only see two babies. I wasn’t sure how long the parents would be gone foraging for food, so I stepped out the back door and snapped a quick photo.  Imagine my surprise when I confirmed that only two birds remained in the nest.
 ​            The tally of missing birds had risen to three. The mystery of the vanishing babies was breaking my heart and baffling my brain. I searched around the patio and under the hanging basket – no baby bird remains. I looked closer at the plants in the hanging basket – I could not find any trace of the baby birds.  
​            I took some solace in the fact that the two remaining babies were thriving, moving around the nest, testing their wings. I knew I wouldn’t have many more chances to catch a picture of my garden guests, so one morning I stepped outside and extended my arm so the phone would get a close up shot of the birdies. I quickly moved the phone back to view the photo – it was a great shot but there were little specks of something moving hurriedly over the surface of the phone…  and on my hand… and on my arm… mites had invaded!! That was unpleasant!
​            I squished the mites wherever I saw them and even where I didn’t see them – it was a mite massacre and rightly so…  It still creeps me out thinking about it… I took a shower.
​            ​In the days that followed, Mommy and Daddy Cardinal were still feeding the twins but with less urgency. There was a lot of noisy chirping from the cardinal parents followed by what appeared to be shouts of defiant complaints from the toddler twins. It was time to leave the mite infested nest and the parents finally practiced some tough love – no more food until you jump.  Daddy Cardinal would zip in and out and shout JUMP, JUMP, JUMP. Mommy Cardinal would fly to the shelf and say “now dear” and then fly to the table and say “now dear” and then fly to the back of the chair and say “now dear”.  It took a lot of demanding, shouting, encouragement and pleading, but finally the first one left the nest and followed its parents to some nearby bushes.  
​            Once that baby was safely hidden from view, the parents returned to the nest and started the whole “leave the nest encouragement thing” again. I watched from inside the kitchen and was thrilled when the baby took that leap. The parents and I were less thrilled when the baby mistakenly landed on the fake screen window outside my back door. 
 ​            I didn’t know what to do. The baby certainly didn’t know what to do. Daddy Cardinal was in panic mode while Mommy Cardinal perched on the picnic table just inches from her baby and continued to chirp encouraging instructions. Baby appeared to be confused and fearful until it spotted something familiar. The baby made a second leap, taking refuge in the flamingo planter by the garage door. The Mommy and Daddy did not approve and kept coaxing the baby to come with them – the baby refused. I took pictures.  
​            I decided the cardinal family needed their privacy and climbed the steps to the back door. I paused for a moment and took a picture of the empty nest. It was not empty. There was what appeared to be a somewhat deteriorated egg and other debris.  That explained one of the missing birds.  
​            Eventually the Cardinal family left the patio area – the last we saw they were heading south into the neighbor’s yard. For a few days we would see the Daddy Cardinal whiz by but we haven’t seen them for a few weeks now.  
​            Both Rai and I miss the activity of the bird family. The crazed Mama bird who was so intent on building her nest. We miss the comings and goings of the Daddy bird – the way he would zip by our head to divert our attention from the nest. That wasn’t exactly fun but it was kind of exciting.
​            I have to admit I was a tad sorry that I had to throw out the hanging basket and plant that I received for my retirement from Keep Fremont Beautiful. I had kept it alive over two winters and I assumed I would keep it alive for a third.  The invasion of mites changed my mind.  
​            After the birds had vacated the premises, I took down the hanging basket and placed it at the end of the patio. My intention was to take out the nest and hose down the plant. By looking down at the basket I was able to focus on the mass of mites moving over the nest and plant, making their way feverishly up the sides of the basket supports to the very tip top of the hook.  
​            Again, wandering mites had made their way to my hands – there was a frantic little dance and a dash to the hose. I realized then, that the plant would be sacrificed – no way was that thing coming back in the house. I found a large trash bag and draped it over the hook of the basket.  I placed a second garbage bag on the ground and opened it. I picked up the bag covered basket and placed it in the second bag. Securing the second bag around the plant and basket, I quickly moved it to the trash can, slamming the lid firmly in place.
​            I hosed off again and retreated to the bathroom to take a shower. Lathering up several times, scrubbing furiously to remove any remaining traces of mites.  Later I walked outside to toss some garbage in the trash can. To my horror, the trash can was covered in creepy crawling mites.  Quickly I hosed my hands and arms.  I’m not exactly proud of what I did next, but I found some ant spray, put on some latex gloves and thoroughly saturated the trash can inside and out. I moved the trash can to the curb to avoid any further contact with the mites. I repeated the part where I hosed off outside, finally returning to the shower, where I lathered and rinsed for a good half hour.   
​            Now a month removed from the Crazy Crack Cardinal family and mite Infestation, I have had an opportunity to ponder possible explanations of what happened to the missing birds… It is a mystery of sorts.  I have a theory… 
​            Perhaps the larger eggs were not cardinal eggs at all. Could it be that the large brown/black bird I had seen leaving the nesting area, had laid those two larger eggs in an attempt to have the cardinals raise the hatchlings as their own? It is possible. Cowbirds have been known to lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Was it a Cowbird I had seen visiting the nest? Did the Cardinals realize that two of the hatched babies were imposters? Did Daddy kill the first imposter and dispose of the body? Did Mama bird protect the second imposter for a time, and then encourage her to flee before a certain death?  
​            ​Oh sorry – that theory took a dark turn for a moment.  It was wonderful having that crazy Cardinal family as garden guests. Rai and I enjoyed the entertainment, the joy and drama, the birds provided just outside our kitchen window.  I have replaced the hanging basket with a new basket and plant.  I hope to save it over the winter and return it to that protective spot on the breezeway/patio next year.  Who knows – perhaps we will have another bird family as guests next Spring.