Photo Essay: Nature Persists

by Keagan Blakley

Birds are dependent upon their mothers at birth. When they are left alone, they are in extreme danger. So when I found a baby bird laying on the ground alone, I knew there was a mother bird nearby searching.

It didn’t take long to spot a similar bird in a tree close by, chirping and hopping along the branches. She had a cricket in her mouth, presumably for her child.

I feared that touching the nestling would result in the mother abandoning it. But after 30 minutes of waiting for her to return it home, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Fortunately, the nestling was the most fearless bird I’d seen.

It hopped up my and down my arm, and at one point it even slid down into my lap and tried climbing back up my chest. During this, the mother bird flew to the tree I sat under, staring down at the nestling in my arms. 

Soon after, I went inside with the relief that the bird had some form of protection nearby. An hour later, I went back outside and searched for the birds. Neither were in sight. 

Nature persists whether or not we’re there to witness it, and in this case I was lucky enough to experience it. Sometimes, it just feels great to watch it all in action.

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