By Kathryn Paulson

Parent birds spend weeks and sometimes months preparing for, nurturing, and teaching their offspring to fly and fend for themselves. Instinctively, parent birds seem to know the dangers of Mother Nature; but, do they know the dangers of the human environment in which they build their nests?

The parent birds’ ritual begins with defending their chosen territory from competitor and predator birds. Next, they find the perfect place and material with which to build their nest. After laying their eggs and patiently incubating them, the eggs hatch and the parent birds are on a constant food-finding mission for their hatchlings.

Not unlike a human parent, parent birds tend to their infants’ every need. Baby birds grow quickly from little skin-covered bodies to mature ones with new downy-feathers. After 18 to 23 days from hatching, they will outgrow and leave the nest. Depending upon the species, some nestlings such as swallows leave by flying directly from the nest and learn to eat insects while in flight. Others, such as robins, rely on parents to teach them the dangerous lesson of taking flight from the ground.

Throughout the entire process, parent birds are always on alert to defend their offspring from potential predators. Sadly, their defense is often futile, especially if the predator is a crow or raccoon. Mother Nature allows these predators to eat eggs and baby birds. More regrettably, the baby bird’s predator can be an uneducated or heartless human.

Nature and humans can be cruel enemies to parent and baby birds. This amazing nesting ritual may be stopped suddenly by a predator animal or human. When the parent bird approaches its nest, beak full of food and speaking to its young with its usual soft chirps, does it grieve when it finds its nest empty? Or, does it see a shoebox on the ground containing its offspring, too young, yet, to care for itself and fly on its own?

In this miraculous nesting ritual, one wonders if parent birds, too, mourn the sudden loss of their young. As humans, we cannot control the course of Mother Nature; however, we can educate ourselves about the sanctity of wildlife and laws that protect it.

According to the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, it could be a violation of federal law with penalties up to $15,000 in fines with imprisonment to destroy nests with eggs or baby birds, or to remove eggs or birds. State laws might also impose additional requirements.

The law mandates bird nests be left alone until the birds vacate the nest. For information, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service www.fws.gov/pacific or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife www.wdfw.wa.gov.

Kathryn Paulson is a 25-year Kirkland resident and Certified Residential Specialist.