Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

Ryan gets a "Birds Eye View" of the eggs a few days before hatching

Let me first say that Ryan (the elder) and I are perfectly aware of the fact that the big, gaping hole in the door to the laundry room outside off of the carport should've been fixed months, upon months ago. We know this. We just never got around to it. And if we had, we would've never had this great nature encounter. Better than last years anyway when Ryan (the younger) and his friend Chaz found a Copper Head in the front yard and were poking it with sticks... Anyway, for the past few weeks I've noticed a Carolina Wren or 2 hanging around my carport. I'd even seen them fly in and out of the hole. I just never thought much about. But the bird lover in me (thanks Dad) got the better of me and on Friday I decided to investigate. And discovered that a Carolina Wren family had indeed set up camp in one of Ryan's old book bags. I looked inside the nest, being careful not to touch or disturb anything and found myself face to face with this adorable little brown bird now affectionately known as Virginia. In spite of efforts to be still, she got spooked and flew to safety behind the water heater. After she left, I called Ryan Hinckley over to get a good look at the four lovely speckled eggs laying in the nest. On Sunday after church we decided to check in on Virginia and her soon to be chicks and discovered that they had hatched! Not the most attractive little things I've ever seen-they look a bit like raw pieces of meat actually. But despite their current "X-fileish" appearance they have won us over! And in week or so when they start to get feathers, I'm sure they will look much cuter. Now I have tried to document this as much as possible but it is surprisingly difficult to take a good picture of a brown bird in a brown nest while precariously balancing on the front end of your washing machine... National Geographic won't be calling anytime soon... So while Virginia and her big, brown eyes may never find her place in The Niceler Family Blog, she will always have a place in the blog in our hearts.