Falcon Babies

A few weeks (maybe months?) ago Aundrea sent me a link to watch the falcons.

I turned it on that day and can’t stop watching. Still. Every morning I log into my computer, open my e-mail and “turn on the falcons”. Some people walk by my desk and ask how they’re doing, and I tell them. Because I know.

After a few days of watching them come and go from their nest, we finally spotted a red egg one Monday morning.

That’s when I started judging “these stupid birds” because they totally neglected their child! They were both gone for hours at a time, and this poor Falcon Baby was probably freezing. I know it was freezing because Aundrea was freezing, and she was inside where it was safe, and in my opinion a reasonable temperature. And her family checks on her more than the Falcons checked on their baby. Suddenly the adult falcons looked like irresponsible teenagers who have no idea what it takes to be parents (unlike me…you know, because I have a lot of experience in being a good parent…)

They (the supposed loving parents of Falcon Baby) would stop by every once in a while (one at a time, never together), they’d sit on the egg for a while, then leave for a couple of hours and one would return to sit on the egg again.

Then one morning there were 2eggs, and the 3^rd came quickly after that. That’s when “these stupid birds” turned into loving, kind, concerned parents. They were suddenly responsible, never leaving those 3 tiny babies alone. They took care of each other and called when it was time for “shift change”.

Sometime this past weekend 2 of the 3 Falcon Babies hatched. They are puffy little white birds and they’re beautiful. Click here to see them, you know you want to – it’s valid because they’re adorable. If you’re lucky (or obsessed and watching them all day every day) you’ll see them eating, which is cool in a pretty sick way.

I guess the bottom line is that these parents who were horrible people Falcons in the beginning have grown into good responsible parents and it’s been encouraging for me in a way.

I feel inadequate to be a mom and most days I’m pretty sure I can’t handle it (seriously, if I can’t even wake up to my alarm at the same time every day, how am I supposed to raise a child?), but maybe by the time my baby “hatches” I’ll be a kind, concerned, loving, and MUCH more responsible parent.

In the meantime, I’m going to try my hardest not to judge the parents around me (Falcon or human) and assume they don’t love their kids just because they choose to abandon them in a nest 11 stories up. Probably those parents will grow into the position and hatch beautiful, white, fluffy, cotton ball babies, just like everybody else.