Here in northern Florida, we have long, hot and humid summers, and short, sometimes cold winters. This region is filled with Pine trees, and Oak trees. Trees are everywhere, In fact, the city of Tallahassee protects trees from human destruction. To cut most trees that have grown, requires permission from the city government. Also, if a construction company needs to cut down trees to build a new office building, school, or residential housing, three trees have to be planted for every tree cut down. We love trees. I love trees, and I hope you do to!
There is an orange tree in the front of our house, almost touching our front window. A couple weeks ago, I saw a birds nest with three colorful eggs in it. Everyday, my wife, son, and I, observed the mother bird flying back and forth to check on her nest, and in the evening to sleep in the nest with the eggs. The other day, something tragic happened to the bird's nest. The eggs were gone, and the nest was moved out of its place bending downward. Can you guess what happened?
1. Did a strong wind blow the nest out of the tree?
2. Did a dog get to the nest and eat the eggs?
3. Did a snake get the eggs and in the process moved the nest out of place?
4. Did the eggs hatch, causing the little baby birds to fly away?
This is what I think happened:
Here in inland northern Florida, the air is still most of the time, and we have almost no winds. We are too far from the coast to get any coastal breezes or winds. Therfore, number one is not relevant.
The nest was too high for a dog to reach, at least the typical size dog we have in this area. There are many dogs here. We all love having pet dogs. I have a dog too, but the dog does not care about a birds nest up high in the tree. Since we see the eggs everyday, even if they did hatch, and little baby birds came out of the shells, they would need time before they could fly away. The mother bird would have to train her babies on how to survive in the world. There was not time for that. The only other possibility is number three, about the snake.
Every year, for the past 3 years, we have had a snake hole in front of our front window of the house. We always cover the hole up, but the snakes, or snake, manages to make the hole again, in the same spot. We have put down chemicals, and moth balls to distract the snake family, but the snakes keep coming back. Well, we know snakes eat bird eggs. In fact, eggs are very delicious to the snakes. We also know that snakes know how to climb trees, and can climb trees very fast. The only logical conclusion is that a snake climbed the tree, got the eggs, and ate them.
Does that make me angre? Yes, it does. You see, I love birds. I grew up with the beautiful sounds of birds in our yard, and in the parks and forests around my neighborhoods. I want that snake and the snake family to leave forever, so we can have a harmonious environment for birds.
Questions:
1. How do you feel about what probably happened to the nest with three eggs in it?
2. Where do you find snakes where you live?
3. What would you do if you saw a snake climbing a tree and going towards a bird's nest?
4. Why should I care about the bird's nest?
5. Why do people like birds more than snakes?
6. What kinds of animals are in your community?
7. When was the last time you saw a bird's nest?
8. How do you feel about birds around your house?
9. How often is it windy where you live?
10. What does a bird do when the bird sees a snake?
11. What kind of trees do you have in your community?
12. Describe the most common trees in your community?
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