Baby birds......

The first thing I noticed as I opened the kitchen door this morning was the lack of movement from the barn swallows that have their nests on the back porch.  On a usual morning, the birds are chirping and singing even before I get down the stairs. This morning, there was complete silence.

The largest barn swallow nest had four little baby birds in it, and they were at the point in growth that would have had them flying out of the nest by week's end.  This morning, however, the baby birds were all gone, and one of the adult birds was dead on the porch, just under the nest. My guess is that a snake got to them during the night, and ate one of the adults and the four babies, and probably bit and killed the adult bird that was lifeless on the porch.

Well, damn. You would think it's impossible for a snake to get up the wall of a house and into those nests, but we've seen it happen before. On a summer morning last year, I found a snake hanging out of a nest.... he had probably fallen asleep with his body half inside the nest after he'd eaten those babies.......... my husband shot that particular snake. Not once, but twice.

I hate the thought of what could be outside at night...... and before I step one foot outside our door at night, even if I'm just going out on the porch, I put all the lights on and I carry a huge flashlight. Just in case. In case of what? I have no idea...... what would I do with a flashlight anyway? Throw it at a snake?

My husband has often asked me to sit on the porch with him at night so we can look at the millions of stars out here.  --- "Are you out of your mind?"--- That's my usual answer.