Empty Nest

A couple of days ago I went out to check on my peony bushes. A friend of mine back in NY let me dig them out of her yard two springs ago and they have come up faithfully every year but never blossomed. I was delighted when I saw one gorgeous white blossom on each of them. I wish this was a happy post celebrating the long awaited peony blossoms. It’s not.

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A little to the right, I noticed a large, brown-black feather lying beneath my new birdhouse. A few inches away, some smaller, blue and white feathers. And next to them, five small, white swallow eggs.

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I have had this happen before, but it never fails to disappoint me. Everything seemed to be going so well. I was looking forward to the peeps of tiny tree swallow chicks in a couple of weeks. Now all that’s left is a pile of broken shells.

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I have had raccoons tear the door off a nest box to get at the eggs. I have known cats to climb up a post and fish inside a box with their paws. I have seen house sparrows literally throw day-old baby blue birds out of a nest box.

But this one, I can’t quite figure out.

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Judging from the two different types of feathers, there was obviously a scuffle. The black feather is probably six inches long. Any bird large enough to have that sized feathers would be much too big to try and claim the birdhouse, or to squeeze inside  and get at the eggs. I suppose it’s possible the mother threw them out for some reason I can’t fathom.

In any case, I’m left with dashed hopes, an empty nest, and a lot of unanswered questions. Fellow birders, I welcome your thoughts…