10/17/2013

Expectant Mother

No, of course, I'm not talking about me, not even about any of our daughters. It's about a Sabiá (same genus as the American Robin), a bird who made a nest in a planter on an outside wall. The Sabiá is Brazil's national bird. Here she is about a month ago. I suppose she was trying to come up with her nest-building plans...
I kind of forgot about her but three weeks later I suddenly noticed the nest. She apparently thought there wasn't enough decoration there so she added a long, dry stick! Fortunately, the succulent plants there don't need much watering!
At this point, there were no eggs there yet. But in just a couple days I was rewarded with the sight of two perfectly beautiful ones, light blue with spots of brown.

 
It has been rather like seeing a new flower bloom...I can't stop taking pictures! "Sabbie" looks so cute and content there in her nest. And daddy helps, too, I discovered one day. I just don't know which is which. They take turns setting on the eggs. Never mind that the encyclopedea says that only the female does that!
A side view. Notice how she always keeps her eyes on me...


 At first, she would fly away when I got about 2 meters from the nest. Now she lets me get a little bit closer (although I take these pictures with zoom). I'm wondering, though, if she'll begin to attack me when the babies hatch. We shall see!

So it's been about 10 days since I first saw the eggs although I don't know exactly when they were laid. But since they are supposed to take 13 days to hatch, I should be seeing these new babies in not more than 3 days!

Ahh! God's creation is marvelous and truly deserves our admiration and praise.

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
(Psalm 9:1)