Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Strength of Nature

The towering maple, stuffed with green leaves a mere month ago, is now disrobed - save for a few brittle leaves still hanging on with all the strength their withering bodies can muster. The shedding of leaves reveals an abandoned nest.

In the summer, we heard sweet squeaks coming from the nest and often witnessed a busy mother robin gathering worms from our grass. We could see the bottom of the nest from our patio, but had no idea what was happening inside. Even from our upstairs window, it was sheltered by the abundant leaves of the maple.

Last night, strong gusts of wind shook the trees, while rain and tree debris pelted our house. I half-expected not to see the nest when I opened the curtains this morning. But, there it sits. Bound firmly to the branch to which the mother robin originally attached it. Nature's strong winds were no match for nature's delicate, yet brilliant, weaving of grass and twigs.

Maybe it will be refurbished in the spring by another mother robin for her brood. Maybe it will remain vacant. Either way, I have no doubt this testament to nature's strength - a seemingly fragile structure - will remain rooted in that very spot for years to come.

23 comments:

Hilary said...

Wonderful salute to nature, Kelly. It truly is amazing how these little creatures manage through the sometimes savage weather. Tis a wonder.

Kelly Polark said...

I also had a huge tall where cardinals went in and out with food for their young ones (that I never did see!).
You described the beauty of nature with such eloquence, Kelly!!

PJ Hoover said...

Nature amazes me. How could it not blow away? I am fascinated!

Unknown said...

Lovely post and great photo. Thanks for sharing!

Susan R. Mills said...

What a cool picture. Great thoughts on nature.

Kelly H-Y said...

Hilary - Thank you! It truly is a wonder!

Kelly - You did?! How cool! And, thank you so much!

PJ - Me too! It's just amazing!

Lizann - Thank you!

Susan - Thank you!

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Great post. Nests are one of my favorite things. It's always exciting to find them!

Keri Mikulski said...

Great nature writing, Kelly. :)

Sarah Laurence said...

Your words and images capture the season so well. Beautiful post!

lisa and laura said...

I love reading things like this. Makes me believe there really is a God.

CC said...

The wind storm was pretty awful!!

Cool nest. We have/have one that just got re-covered with our fallen down siding. So I guess no birds will be living there next spring. ;)

Hardygirl said...

Gorgeous!

sf

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

did the birds fall out?

Kelly H-Y said...

Thank you for your lovely, lovely responses!

And, Shelli ... no, I think they just finally were ready to take off and abandon the nest! From what I've read, that actually happens surprisingly quickly!

distresseddamsel said...

Fragile-looking it may be, but those twigs were spun and held together by the indestructible concern and protective force that only a mother can give. A beautifully written salute to one of the many fantastic mysteries of mother nature.

Beth Kephart said...

You have no idea, Kelly, how incredibly symbolic and potent this image is for me right now, today.

In about a month perhaps I'll be able to tell you more.

FOr now, just know that nests are all, and thank you.

Anonymous said...

I do love the nests in the trees that appear hen the leaves are gone, and the sound of baby birds in spring among the leaves!

Clementine said...

I'll bet she'll come back. We have a nest too, and they come back to it every spring. When they do, take pictures!

Cathy C. Hall said...

Hi Kelly-

This has NOTHING to do with your post, but I just got an email about a Chicken Soup for the Soul call out for runners (due ASAP)and I thought "Hmmmm. What can I write about running?" That came up a big, fat zilch 'cause I hate running unless I have to. BUT, I thought of you...didn't you have some funny running story that I read here?

The thing is, I could be totally thinking of somebody else. Or maybe you do have a running story that you've never posted and I happen to be psychically connected to you. Or maybe one of your followers will read this and say, Hey! What about me and my great running story????

Um, I seem to be going on here...you can email me if you (or all y'all) want more details :-)

Kelly H-Y said...

Oh how I love all of your comments and stories!!
Amy ... they come back?! I didn't know if that would happen, and will watch for it next year!
Beth ... I'm so, so very glad this was applicable on this day ... can't wait to hear more.
Cathy! I've e-mailed you! :-)

Unknown said...

Aw. This makes me sad. We had a nest of wrens near our porch, and it blew over the other night. I mean, the birds were long gone, but...it still made me sad :(

Sandie lee said...

I really like your Blog overall. Very Nice :)

Kelly H-Y said...

Beth ... it blew over?! That IS sad. Glad to hear their were no little birdies in it when it happened.

Sandie - Thank you! Such a pleasure to meet you! :-)