As The Bride and I emptied the last of the trash cans into a “County Approved” disposal site the task at hand went from a removal project to a recovery project. We were taking pieces of construction material out of the last trash can by hand when The Bride pointed and said “look” and I did. There behind me was a fledgling on a discarded shipping pallet at the vector where “look and point” intersected with reality.

I stopped and asked The Bride where it came from. From the trash can I had just removed the construction material from she said. As The Bride recovered the fledgling from the pallet I turned my attention to the trash can. I did not have to look long till I discovered the nest and four more wonders of life still inside the trash can.

On top of the last remnants of the drywall from the bathroom was a well made but now slightly skewed nest covered in drywall dust. Inside were two dusty little feathered wonders and two others had hooped out and were at the bottom of the can. The Bride looks at me and I at her as if both of us are asking ” What now?” So I load the can back into the trunk and cover it with a discarded piece of paneling I hastily found by the dumpster.

We get back in the car and drive very slowly but determinedly back to our place about a half a mile away. As we pulled up to the porch a little but very vocal bird is there to greet us. Momma bird is somewhat put out with fact we went joy riding with her little ones. In an attempt to set things right I unload the trash can to put it back precisely where I had removed it from. In between taking the can out of the trunk and moving to the porch another fledgling takes flight. This one lands on the bench on the porch. Momma continues to show her displeasure with us from a nearby tree.

Taking several minutes to make sure the can would not tip over, now that the other cans where empty that shored it up, I look inside with a slightly heightened level of concern. Thankfully there was no need to worry as the remaining three fledglings were still inside the can after the ride home.

As The Bride goes to put the fledgling she was holding back in it decides to take flight! All is good on take off but it does not get enough lift and flies straight into the garage window! As we run to see if it is alright I think “Great, we get the little wonder back and it takes itself out on its first flight!” All the while, as this drama is playing out, Momma is verbally assaulting us for messing with her little ones.

At first we could not find the little crash pilot. However after several minutes of searching we hear a second voice calling back to Momma bird from the tree next to the garage. I look up the sound and sure enough there in a low branch in a tiny duplicate of Mommy bird. With that crisis over we go back to look inside the can again.

As I approach the porch I notice one more of crash pilot’s siblings has flown the confines of the can and now has joined its sibling on the porch. The Bride checks the two in the nest and they are alive but somewhat disheveled by the recent events that had come upon them and their little home. All the while Momma is giving us her opinion of our reckless behavior with her little ones.

Soon after the scolding the two fledglings on the porch take flight and then there only two. Before checking out for the night I look in on the two in the nest. They are their and all is well or at least to me it is. Mommy continues to rebuke me and I carefully cover the portion of the trash can right above the nest and retire. I do not check on them the next morning as I leave for work but when I arrive home that evening they too had taking flight.

To my Mom and all Moms who have helped their little ones take flight I say this: Have a Wonderful Mothers Day!