Small Hearts, Big Love!

I developed a love and appreciation for birds at an early age from my mom. Our family lived in a 3rd floor apartment and had a parakeet named Penny. One day, when my mom went to shake the table cloth outside, Penny flew out to accompany her and didn’t return. We were sad, but didn’t give up hope. We put an ad in the local paper, and amazingly, a couple of days later, we received a call from a family, a block away, who said a parakeet flew into their home. We were so happy to get her back!

Years later, in our own home, my mom had a ‘love bird’, named Peaches, who would as soon bite you as have you get near her (except for my mom!) She would kiss my mom and stay on her shoulder. When mom got Mickey, a blue parakeet, Peaches wasn’t so sure that she wanted to share mom’s attention. They existed side by side separately for months before mom introduced them. It was a love affair, so much so, that if their cages were left open, they preferred being together in one cage. One day, caught unawares, a visiting dog killed Mickey. Peaches died of a broken heart a short time later.

Small hearts can love in big ways. Living in Florida offers many opportunities to witness the devotion of birds, who often mate for life. Francesco and I were enchanted by our recent experience with a mourning dove, who had for weeks, been hiding at my entryway, building a nest behind a large fern. It was exciting to see the two tiny, perfectly-formed white eggs, and we quietly tried to reassure ‘Mama bird’ that she and her eggs were safe with us. To our amazement, weeks later two babies emerged, one larger than the other, whom we named Hans and Greta. We felt like ‘grandparents’, watching them daily, as they grew.

At night, we would tiptoe outside to check on them. Oftentimes, ‘mama’ would disappear for hours, only to show up in the early morning (sometimes with dad), we assumed to feed them. We weren’t sure how she was going to get these little ones safely off of a tall plant stand to eventually be able fly from one floor above ground level. One evening, all three were on the walkway. Later, in the middle of the next night, we went out and saw ‘mama’, who was sitting on the blue railing with Hans, but Greta could only get onto the stucco wall below. Would she make it? The following night, mom was gone, but Hans had moved down to keep his little sister company. We were so touched by this act of loving. The following morning, they were all gone. We wondered if we would ever see them again.

But the next night, there was mama on the ground looking for her littlest one, who may likely have fallen into the plants below. Hans had been seen walking around in the garage, near all the plants, but no sign of little Greta. Another evening, three birds were perched on different areas and levels, looking for the baby to show up. It was amazing to witness such consistent caring.

And what a privilege it is to be close to these wild birds, who offer such a gift in allowing us to witness what love looks like. Francesco says: “It reaffirms my belief that all creatures – great and small – should be respected as sentient beings.”