I’ve heard of the phrase ‘herding cats’ but not ‘herding baby birds’ which sounds equally unlikely. But that’s what the mom and dad Bewick’s Wren did when their 5 babies left the nest 2 weeks after they hatched inside my mailbox.

At first I felt sad that they had suddenly vanished and I thought they were gone for good. There was a stillness around the now empty mailbox. I noticed the dad bird nearby in a shrub and sensed an air of ‘mission accomplished’ as he strutted around by himself on a branch.

When I peeked inside my mailbox the next day all the babies were back, to my surprise and delight. Now I knew my cat (who was confined indoors subsequently) hadn’t harmed any of them. It’s unusual for birds to return to a nest once they leave.

Also to my delight, the birds continued to stay in the vicinity of my yard for their first few days while I observed the seemingly miraculous next step in their development. I witnessed the mom attempting to ‘herd her baby birds’ while they flew  around my yard (in Peter Pan fashion: “look, I just flew to the fence”). They communicate in chirping signals–the mom sends out a distinctive set of stern chirps as if to say “Here. Over here. Come here now” (or, “Here I am.”) And the babies (coming from 5 different directions) chirp back in soft tones. The teamwork of the parents to take care of their young and the communication among them all is remarkable. It’s an intricate world that most humans are oblivious to.

From new bird’s nest to tiny eggs to hairless bodies with large yellow beaks to growing babies to a bird family out in the wild, it’s been a fascinating journey to observe and document. (Images below: one of the parents is coaxing the babies out of the nest, one of the babies out on its own, empty nest.)