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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A Nest

Remember my Love Story poem?
I noticed my climbing rose bush has some powdery mildew on the leaves and
went out to spray it before it ate the whole bush.  But I noticed a sweet little nest
built in the branches!  It was too tall for me to see into it!

But I stretched up on my tiptoes and put the camera above my head and pointed it down
into the nest and this is the shot I got.  Looks like 4 little eggs~
I didn't know what kind of bird had laid them, but the cardinal couple was close by. :)

A little later when I peaked outside, I could see Mrs. Cardinal sitting on her eggs! 
Awww...how very sweet! :)


They chose the bush that is by the front door!  At first I
wondered why they didn't choose that beautiful crab apple outside my kitchen window that
they have loved all winter and spring!  But then I think I figured it out.  They are all too
aware that we have all those cats back there! ha.  
Something too flimsy to climb like rose bush stems are safer...and they have thorns.  
Good thinking!  :)

78 comments:

  1. See what came from all that "smooching" :)

    Those eggs are so pretty--not sure if I've ever seen a cardinal egg before.

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    1. haha...yes, smooching will get you a brood! lol!

      I've never seen one either! The nest isn't very deep or sturdy. So unlike Robins' nests that are cemented together with mud! ha.

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  2. I love when I find bird nests! I've heard Cardinals like the briery bushes for protection. Smart AND pretty!

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    1. Well, they stayed true to their instincts! Close to the front door isn't very private, though! haha.
      The mildew is going to be really bad by the time they all leave the nest! ha.

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    2. oh my! I noticed some sick looking leaves on some of my roses too! not sure what's going on, thought I'll have watch them a bit, maybe if the sun would chase away this rain they would have a better chance :)

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    3. I had the same problem last spring and summer..on several things in our yard. We had a ton of rain and the humidity really never left. It was the perfect climate for mildew to run rampant. :(

      Such a lovely sight on the front porch! lol....

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    4. never a good thing when the front porch stuff doesn't do well :( Right now on mine I can smell a 'Miss Kim' and a 'Tinker Bell' the honeysuckle is starting and the locust trees are blooming. They smell nice too :) Love it out there!! But it keeps raining :( so I planted flowers in the rain today :)

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    5. ours smells like wisteria...do you know that smell? NOT pleasant!!! ugh. lol....

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    6. oh but it's pretty! and I thought it was supposed to smell good?!

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    7. haha...that's what I thought when I bought it! It smells horrible! Taylor told me this morning that our house smelled like cat pee. haha...I thought, 'No, I've cleaned the litter box, and the rabbit cage and everything is clean and the windows are open!" Then I realized he was smelling the wisteria. haha...oh dear. We have it growing up a pergola in a courtyard off of our bedroom! It's gorgeous...and stinky. :(

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    8. I think I just had a blond moment there! LOL my Mother in law has wisteria on her front porch and it smells good. ha I was a bit confused. I think it's time I go to bed, it's been a long day! lol

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    9. if she has a good smelling one, she is lucky! Mine is purple and yucky. lol.

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    10. Oh dear is right! I never realized this! MIL has so many flowers perhaps I smelled one of them and thought it was wisteria. Or maybe your kittys have an 'upstairs' bathroom. ha

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    11. haha....no, I watch those kitties like a hawk. :)

      At least the blooms only last a couple of weeks. then the vines are beautiful! ha.

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  3. Betsy absolutely nice nest and eggs, ha,ha I always think you spy these birds LOL

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    1. I envy your pictures:( you know my cell have limits.

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    2. Those birds probably think I spy, too!...and with my camera! lol. But I think they know I'm nice. At least they let me get close for pictures! ha.

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    3. Yes I think they know you and say look she comes again with her camera! ha!

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    4. haha...hopefully they will let me take pictures of the babies if I'm really quiet. :)

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    5. Oh Betsy you always think in more babies lol
      sure you can see:))

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  4. Beautiful!

    I noticed something fall from our weeping birch tree Sunday morning, a piece of dry grass. Down hopped a robin with a beak full of grass to retrieve the missing piece. Yesterday Mom saw them working on their little nest.

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    1. aw...robins are fun. I think I've seen robins nesting more than any other bird! A birch tree...what a beautiful setting! :)

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  5. This is what I love the most about Spring...nests with eggs!!!
    How exciting for you. Now you get to watch them grow. One of the most exciting things to do as a bird watcher. Other then to watch them try to fly.
    Keep us posted.
    I'm so excited for you.

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    1. Me, too...it certainly is the most fun part! I hope the cats behave! ha.

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  6. How sweet is that!!!!
    I am sure you will get many pictures along the way...
    I found some Robins eggs at the cottage...:o(...but also another nest with Ma Robin at the helm...

    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. I love those blue robins eggs...so beautiful!

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  7. Replies
    1. Hopefully they will let me keep taking pictures! ha. I don't want anything dive bombing my head! haha.

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  8. Smart birds indeed
    With all those cats they have to take heed
    You may find a few with thorns in them at some point
    And their noses out of joint
    As they try and get to the birds going chirp chirp
    Wanting to gulp them down and give a burp

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    1. I can see Tiger doing that.
      He even chirps at us at our mat.
      I think it's his only meow
      at least he doesn't say bow wow.
      lol.
      all done with flappy over there?
      now you can rest at your lair.

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    2. Yeah she was a big pain in the rump tonight
      Will make another post surely take flight
      Hate her so much
      And yeah Tiger will surely try and reach out and touch
      With some pricks to his paw
      Looking like he has an extra claw

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    3. Well, sorry she was a pain
      but you turn it into gain
      as she inspires the funniest posts
      when you become the rhyming host!
      At least you turn it into something fun
      when she's a pain in your buns.
      lol.

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    4. Yeah and the post I will have to write
      As I sit at work once more tonight
      With more nitwits coming in
      So I have to stay here at my work bin

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  9. what a lovely continuation to the love story, and how fitting to be in a rose bush, darn smart too!

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    1. I know, laurie! I was so excited to see that they had stayed. With them moving to the front of the house, I hadn't seen much of them and thought maybe they were gone!

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  10. def smart thinking they have built in security you know...smiles...and cool that they have graced you with more members of the zoo ...haha

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  11. You're starting to make me like birds? Stop it!! LOL

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    1. As long as they are outside and not in your hair, right? lol....

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  12. I love these pictures! So sweet! I love finding nests, though we haven't seen any around our house this year. Thanks for sharing yours!

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    1. thanks, marina! I'm excited to watch it through the next few weeks!

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  13. Make sure you keep the kitties away! Unless they're in the mood for bird stew :|

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    1. Oh, they love bird stew! haha. Their mom raised them on fresh bird! Ew! But being in the front will help...it's when they start leaving the nest that could be a problem!

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  14. Awwww how adorable!! Hope the kitties stay away and hope mum and dad Cardinal have healthy happy babies soon who will fledge to the next generation! Yay! Take care
    x

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    1. I can't wait to see the babies...I've never see cardinals nest before! :)

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  15. I can't wait to see the babies...do you think they will have little red mohawks?

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  16. What beautiful photographs - they brightened up my day.

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  17. Aww, sweet photo of mamma cardinal on the nest! We have a pair of cardinals at our feeder but I've never seen a cardinal nest or babies. Hope you're able to get photos after they've hatched.

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    1. I never have either...I'm anxious to watch! Maybe your couple will make s nest nearby since you are feeding them!

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  18. Great! I just found a nest this morning, too...waaaay high up though, so I will not be able to spy on the activity.

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    1. sounds like my birds like the single story ranch and your like the penthouse! lol....

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  19. VERY nice Betsy - babies are always a joy aren't they??? Another sweet post.

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  20. Beautful shots! And mother nature instills smarts in her creatures. :) Can't wait for pictures of the babies when they are hatched.

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  21. AND, may I be naughty for a moment and say Mrs. Cardinal prefers NOT to have to look at the neighbors tighty whities on the clothes line! :)
    Yes, I am BAD!

    SOOOOOOO sweet! THAT NEST!

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    1. haha...oh now, that would make nest sitting very unpleasant! That is so true!

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  22. Hi Betsy - the powdery mildew looks yuggy - but isn't nest just amazing - they're so clever building those things ... did I mention about my seagulls trying to build a nest in the round birdbath here - don't they know about water in bird baths, and that foxes jump and drink from the bath? Dumb birds - still finally they've moved nearby .. but are not nesting in the bath!!

    Delightful shots - and I've given you a shout out on my 2nd Reflections post .. cheers Hilary

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  23. Always glad to read the continuing story of the Cardinals. Also wish I could've seen you on your tiptoes. I'll bet you looked really cute. :)

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  24. I'm so glad you saw the nest before you sprayed. And soon you're going to have baby cardinals! What fun that will be.

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  25. Hi Betsy yougurt and blackberrie sounds nice!

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    1. now the blackberries are gone but I still have a few raspberries!

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  26. Aww. I love having the birds around. I have a set of swallows that have nested on my patio eaves for the past three years. I can take a break and walk out side and sit and watch them. I also have cats and I've noticed my cardinal couples have chosen thorny tall hedge bushes across my front yard to nest in. Yesterday, I had a couple of Turkey hens eating the seed off the ground under the feeders. That's a first.

    Love your pictures, Betsy!

    Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

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    1. I've seen swallows swooping high overhead but they have never gotten close! How fun! And turkey hens? No way! I'd love that. haha...the cats would, too! :)

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  27. These photos are great. The distance shot of the nest is nice, but I really like the eggs and wow, that's a great pic of the cardinal. Great job Betsy. Thanks

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    1. She was very patient with me...until the end! haha...as soon as I snapped that last photo she flew off the nest. I promised her I wouldn't bug her every day...just had to get a few pictures for my blog. :) Being right beside the front door, she's going to have to get used to people walking by several times a day, though.

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  28. You know I'm loving this post. What a precious photo of the female cardinal. You're so lucky!! I look forward to updates.

    My neighbor had Cardinals set up close to his house as well. Then they started beating at the window because they thought their own reflection was another bird in their territory. We suggested a clear but filmy plastic trash bag cut open and flat, then taped around the window edges, to solve the problem. It let the light in but hid any reflections from the birds. That's what we did for our bluebirds because they were attacking our deck windows. We cut a small square in the plastic bag so we could peek out to their house across the yard or see them on the railing.

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    1. Oh now that is very interesting! How funny that they peck the windows but I guess that's the same things as caged birds having a 'friend' in the mirror. haha. Fortunately, this nest isn't near any windows.

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  29. Beautiful pictures! You can really take great shots!Well done!

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    1. thanks, Alida...there are a lot of photos that don't turn out though that you never see! haha.

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  30. They are certainly not daft then, those birds...not just a pretty face!

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    1. no, they are very wise! I haven't looked at her nest today...I wonder how long she sits on it!

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  31. you know, I've never actually sen real eggs in a nest?! how magical!

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