The year before I watched mockingbirds nest in the vine arbor off my back porch. Most years, in fact, I am able to enjoy watching birds nest and feed their young.
This year I was happy to discover a Brown Thrasher nest in the Jasmine vines in the back yard. As I usually do when I am able, I took some pictures of the nest and then the eggs that were laid and even managed to get some shots of the newly hatched chicks.
But then... woe is me... I went out a few hours later and all five baby birds were gone. Just like that. Gone!!!
No way they left the nest. They were only two days old. I checked the ground around the nest wondering if by some odd chance they fell out or were knocked out. Nope. No baby birds.
Later that afternoon I got the answer to the puzzling disappearance. A big fat squirrel was climbing around there, looking for lunch.
{sigh}
Poor birdies.
Though I do like squirrels they are a bother this time of year. They eat all my bird seed and now they've even taken to eating the birds themselves.
Oh well. There's always next year.
Here are the shots I managed to get, in order, from building of the nest, setting on the nest, five eggs, then five baby birds and finally, the empty nest.
