A Mother's Day Snippet

Mother's Day was lovely.

We went to breakfast with the kids (big and little), then ran an errand with them.


I didn't get any pics of my precious [big] girl (the reason I celebrate Mother's Day), but I got these of my precious [little] girl (reason number 2 why I consider being Grandma the best thing ever!):







Ah, she's my little Love Bug!!

I didn't get any pics of my darling Kingston (reason number 1) either, but I snagged these just two days prior:

He was delightedly playing in the dirt. {grin}

Then proceeded to make a series of funny faces. {hehe}




Kristiina noticed nests up in the eve of the covered porch where we were.  So, of course, we had to stack a few tables and she kept them steady while I climbed up to have a look.

One of the nests was empty, but this one had 5 eggs in it!  They were super small - just about the size of the tip of my finger.  I'm still trying to determine what kind they are.

UPDATE ON THE EGGS...

I emailed Larry at The Birders Report and he responded with this:

"This is an Eastern Phoebe nest. The odd looking egg belongs to the Brown-headed Cowbird, a parasitic bird that lays its eggs in other birds nests and lets the host species (the phoebe in this case) raise their chick for them. You can read more about the Cowbird here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-headed_Cowbird

The Eastern Phoebe usually raises two brood per season. She usually lays five eggs which she incubates for about two weeks. The chicks leave the nest at about two to three weeks of age and are attended by both parents for another 2 to 3 weeks. Let  me know how it goes. I have attached photos of the bird and the chicks.

Larry Jordan
http://TheBirdersReport.com"

Interesting, no?  What a kook that cowbird is... or lazy?  Letting another mama raise its chick...! tsk

Here are the two pictures he attached:

Eastern Phoebe at Nest

Eastern Phoebe Chicks in Nest

Then we headed back to their place for a bit of fun in the yard before we went home.


At home, we had a lazy afternoon, lopping on the couch... naps ensued.

My napping place was beneath this window...

It was a nice Mother's Day, a happy balance of playful and quiet.