The Hidden Nest

After some biting cold weather, howling wind and days of snow.. followed by burst pipes and water shortages, a few days ago, the first cherry blossom quietly opened upon the garden tree, and along roads in quiet parks, beds of early daffodils suddenly parade in full yellow trumpet.

Mysteriously, last week, I noticed a large nest in the branches of the garden tree, a nest I had not seen all Winter long, perhaps a magpies, large, strongly made and covered in un-melted snow? or so I thought, strange, so many days after the thaw, was it snow? or was the nest lined in white down? it seems a few of the adjacent magnolia have flowered early alongside this apparently empty nest.. a poem in itself

Part cherry tree, part magnolia, together the branches of this one fused tree make Spring truly magnificent, the magnolia buds swollen and strong, waiting calmly, boldly, yet ready to burst forth... alongside lay the cherry buds, so delicate, almost shy and gentle, each quietly uncovers herself to Mother Nature - to the flight of the early bumble bees..

a warm blooded insect that cares for her young, nursing each egg to health and metamorphosis

The Spring

First cherry blossom

Gentle bursts of early joy

A Spring time note calls

Tunes call out in gentle sun

Nests revealed as birds gather...

( a tanka style poem)

©Jason Christopher 2018

what makes you human?

Edit: the next day, day 2, was wild and blustery, and if there were any early blooming magnolias, which it most certainly 99% looked like, they had now surely blown away... or metamorphosised into a giant fleece, that was slung over the nest. There had been owls hooting all through Winter, but I doubt they could pick up a new born lamb... and so.. today, day 3, the white stuff is actually all in the nest, heaps of it, but no owls or other birds at all seen present. I guess they could be fluffy juveniles but a lot of fluff it seems to be... perhaps...

Updated: day 4 and the fluff or fleece was slung out again, laying and dripping over the entire nest, day 5 nr dusk the light was dazzling coming through my blinds through dramatic clouds at a bright sunset scene, I opened the other window to check out the nest as a breeze rustled the branches gently... and my oh my I nearly gasped “gasp” the thing moved its ears and lifted its head and looked straight at me eye to eye!! That spooked me out, not a bird but a white furred slim fox!! No joke. Maybe. It made me shivver so I closed the window waited, then looked out again. It must have been an optical illusion from the angular motion of the fluff and branches... the bright low level sun rays..I looked again, hard to make out, the head looking away, the tail hanging down, ears flat... probably just fluff... or a fleece... but It felt slightly... ummm .. supernatural! and eerie. Day 6 and the nest really is covered in snow. Would be amazing if there were chicks in this nest but not a sound, and no sight of parents at all.. woooo, woooo hoooo, twit twooooo 🤫

Day 7 a couple of magpies in the tree but not near the nest

Day 7 at night heard the owl

Its prob just next doors dead cat in the nest, hek

#spring #cherrytree #nest