Best excuse for getting out of yard work

[Indigo]

I went outside to prune some of my rosebushes and move them to another fence since the veggie garden is getting expanded to where they currently are. I move some branches of the biggest bush and what do I find?



So that rosebush is staying put for the next couple of weeks and now I have to go check the others to see if they're hiding any surprises too.

[Aethian]

Just love that excuse.

[Kittish]

Hmm, I'm a little surprised Mama Bird didn't scold you soundly for disturbing her nest. Maybe she was too far off looking for food to notice you getting close to her babies.

Good reason to put off doing that part of the yard work, though!

[hinakiba777]

Well if ever there was a reason to hold off on pruning, this would be the best.

Just be careful should you choose to check on them later, or be around that bush. Don't want mama to give you a severe pecking.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

you don't actually say what you find, aside from an excuse. For me, a colony of earwigs'd do it... so I guess a bird...?
Yay excuses! :3
EDIT: okaaaay pic decided to load. XD Ugly things, aren't they?

[Indigo]

Momma bird was sitting on the power line above me, watching very intently. My mom and I decided that it would be a very good idea to go inside and let her check on her babies. Oddly enough I was pruning that bush yesterday, but not that side of it so I didn't notice the nest. I went out to get the mail earlier and Momma bird was pulling worms out of the garden and flying over to the bush so I guess she's not too ticked off about it.

I actually thought they were pretty cute. The kinda white-ish fuzzy stuff in the nest is actually fur from my mom's long-haired German Shepherds. They've been blowing their coats for awhile now so we always put the loose fur from brushings outside for the birds. We usually have a ton of birds nests around here because the gardens and compost heap provide tons of food and the dogs keep away most stray cats and other wildlife but have no interest in chasing the birds.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Ugly+Cute=Ulgorable. There's a site about that...

[MoonCat]

They're cute! I love baby birds!

[BookstoreEscapee]

I actually thought they were pretty cute. The kinda white-ish fuzzy stuff in the nest is actually fur from my mom's long-haired German Shepherds. They've been blowing their coats for awhile now so we always put the loose fur from brushings outside for the birds.

Maybe that's why she didn't go after you...she knows you provided materials to build her babies a home.

They're so cute! My dad used to stack the patio furniture (old fashioned round wooden picnic table and benches) against the back wall of the house under the overhang for the winter, and one year a robin built her nest in the X of one of the bench legs. So we had to wait a little longer than normal to move the furniture back out onto the patio.

[XCashier]

Most baby birds fall into the "so ugly they're cute" category (excepting ducklings, who are cute from Day One). They don't get pretty until they're fully grown. Any idea what kind of birds they are?

Thank you for sparing the rosebush, and the nest.

[Indigo]

Well originally I thought they were robins since that's what I always see around here. But I watched from the garage for awhile and the momma birdie is kinda brownish with bright white at the end of her wings and has longish tail. So I have no clue what kind of birds they are.

Today I was moving some of my other rosebushes to our new fence and I'd get about halfway across the yard before I saw her swooping in behind me to get at the bugs I unearthed. I reckon those babies ate well today.

[XCashier]

You might try this app to identify the bird if you're interested. I tried to look it up for you but I have no idea what state you're in. (And don't forget, most birds are sexually dysmorphic; the female looks drastically different from the male, usually duller in color.)

[BookstoreEscapee]

Most baby birds fall into the "so ugly they're cute" category (excepting ducklings, who are cute from Day One). They don't get pretty until they're fully grown. Any idea what kind of birds they are?

Thank you for sparing the rosebush, and the nest.

Baby geese are cute too. There are two ponds I pass on my way to work and I've been seeing the little ones out the last couple weeks. One week they're little balls of fuzz waddling around, and the next they suddenly have necks 'n stuff!