Checking Out the Cardinal's Nest

This is the cabin Richard and I stayed in at the HEB Lodge in Rockport, last week. As we sat in the screened in back porch, Richard spotted a female cardinal flying into the little tree that grew right outside the screen. He called me over to the screen to look into the tree to see the nest he found. 

Sitting motionless, but watching us, I am sure, the momma cardinal filled the nest. We couldn't see if there were eggs in it from where we stood.

So, being the nosy photographer that I am, I took my camera outside and peered into the branches, only able to see the underside of the nest.  That wasn't good enough. Very gently, I pulled the branch holding the nest down, hoping it would move enough for me to satisfy my curiosity. It would not move that far.

However, it was too unsettling for the momma bird, so she flew out of the nest and perched in the nearby live oak tree. She chirped in alarm, but she did not really have anything to fear from me. I just wanted a peek.

Holding my camera as high as I could, I blindly snapped a couple of times, hoping I could get a picture of the interior of the nest while momma bird fussed at me from the live oak.

Ahhhh....so this is why she was so worried. There were four beautiful, speckled eggs nestled in the bowl of the nest. Aren't they wonderful?

I have watched cardinal families raise their chicks, and it is inspiring. Long after the chicks have left the nest, long after they have mastered the art of flying, the momma and the daddy still feed their young. I hope these four eggs hatch and grow into fine young cardinals. I wish I could be there to see them grow.