SAD SAMANTHA THE SPARROW

By Jim Kittelberger

The six speckled brown eggs were lying in the nest built by the soon to be mother, Samantha, the sparrow. She was as proud as she could be of the construction and the location of her nest. She had located the softest, most durable, sweet smelling material she could find. It's location near the top of an old maple tree providing shelter and safety from prying eyes.

Her brownish gray feathers matched nicely the yellow-brown of her nest providing her and her soon to be hatchlings safety from predators. There is always someone out there who would like to snatch her little eggs for breakfast, especially that loud group who live down the street in the wooded part of town.



The dreaded, loud, big band of bullies, the Crow family. They always talk in loud voices and shove everyone out of their way. The Crow brothers do not know the first thing about manners. The people who live in the big house have two feeders for the bird families who reside in their yards. You would think that there would be enough to go around, and there is, but the Crow family, when they saunter into town, start right away showing off their bad manners. They jump on top of the feeders scaring off anyone who is feeding there. They become more dangerous this time of year because they are the worst scavengers and thieves around. They will snatch eggs right out a mother's nest and scream boastfully as they fly off with them. The round-beaked people who live in the big house will even come out sometimes and shoo them away.

But the Crow brothers, nasty as they are, will fly into the tree in the next yard and sit and sass the round-beaked people, until they shake their heads and go back into their big house.



Samantha noticed that Jack Crow, the biggest of the brothers, coming closer to her nest each day. She became more and more nervous. Jack and his brothers seemed to plotting as each day they would come closer and closer, and then they started teasing and taunting her saying they were going to have eggs for breakfast someday real soon. Then the day came. Jack and his brothers started swooping down at her nest like attacking airplanes. They came closer and closer. Samantha stood up in the nest and flapped her wings to show her anger, but she knew and they knew she was too little compared to the nasty Crow brothers. Finally they came much closer and Samantha had to leave her nest to try and run one of them off. As she did, the bad Crow brothers attacked the nest and knocked it off its limb. Down it went, eggs going every which way. Almost as soon as the eggs hit the ground, Jack and his brothers were on them, snatched them up into their beaks, and flew away.


Samantha was grief stricken. She stood by her ruined, empty nest and cried harder than ever before. She went up to the top of the tree, sat down, and cried and cried.

Her friends, the wren family, the robin family, and even the loudmouth blue jay stopped by to see if they could help. But no one could do anything for her. Samantha was heart-broken and as sad as she could be.


Down below, at the bottom of the tree on the terrible day, unseen by the battling birds was a mole. Her name was Molly. She was hunting for dry grass for her nest because she too was going to have babies. Her nest was under a nearby hedge. Moles by nature keep their noses close to the ground and don't look up much, so she was very surprised when the nest landed not one foot away from her. She darted behind the tree when she saw the large birds come diving down for their prize, the eggs. She was horrified. She knew these eggs belonged to a mother bird, but there was nothing she could do about it. When the attack was over, she decided she could use some of the material from the broken nest for her nest, and she quickly went to check it out. As she selected a piece of straw that would work just fine, she noticed an egg. One of the eggs, when the nest hit the ground had bounced out of the nest, and the nest rolled over on top of it. The dreaded Crow brothers, not being the smartest birds in town, didn't see it. Molly mole had no way to tell the sad mama bird that one of her eggs was still here, so she very, very gently moved the egg to the hedge and her nest. When she had gotten the straw from the fallen nest, she finished making her nest under the hedge and very carefully moved the egg into it. Most female animals know how to be mothers, so she so very gently moved herself on top of the bird egg. As she waited for her babies to be born she sat and sat and sat on that egg.


Soon the day came. The egg started to crack, and a little baby bird popped his head from the shell. It soon was completely out of the shell and very hungry. As all little baby birds do, it sat with its beak wide open waiting for mama bird to drop some food in. Moles luckily live on and in the ground, so she knew where to find worms to keep baby bird happy.




The days passed and Samantha bird was so sad. She was getting skinny from not eating and her friends were very worried. Then one morning, about a week later, she thought she heard chirping. She listened more closely. Yes, she was sure she heard chirping. She flew from her perch on the high limb toward the sound. As she landed on the ground near the hedge, she was greeted by her friends the bluejays and robins. They were hopping up and down explaining what had happened. She couldn't believe what they were telling her, but as she poked her head into the hedge, she saw her baby jumping up and down and ready to leave the nest. Beside the nest sat Molly. Samantha and Molly talked for a long time until finally Molly suggested it was time for Samantha to take over. She did not know how to teach flying and it was almost time for her babies to be born and she would need the room in the nest.


Samantha thanked Molly with all her heart. As she and baby bird left the hedge, they were greeted by her friends, who were all standing guard against Jack Crow and his brothers, just in case they decided to return.


Soon the baby bird was flying and finding her own food, and she would soon leave Samantha, but that is the way it is. As for now she couldn't be happier as she sat on her branch high in the tree and sang her beautiful song for all to hear and enjoy.

JACK, THE CROW

(C)Jim Kittelberger 2001. All Rights Reserved.