Sunday, May 27, 2012

Spring & "Our" Fledgeling (2012)

a fledgling  on our balcony chirps, "Hello! I'm hungry!" :) taken early this morning

23rd of February, 2015 EDIT: Revisiting this blog, I decided it to change the title from "As Spring Slowly Bids Farewell" to "Spring & 'Our' Fledgeling"


It's not yet officially Summer but the last weeks of Spring makes you think that it is!

Since my last blog, posted more than a month ago, a lot has happened,  and as usual it's a challenge "to come back", and squeeze all those stories of the past weeks in one blog.  Actually, it's a challenge to decide what to blog first!

The photo I took spontaneously this morning, of the fledgling in the bird house hanging against the wall of our balcony, thankfully made it easy for me today. :)

What an inspiration!

It's gentle eyes, and wide expectant beak was such an innocent yet powerful image - it seem to me as if it's greeting:

"Goodbye, dear Spring! Hello, Summer - watch out, we will be spreading our wings, soon!

Last year in January, I blogged about liefste P and the girls purchasing a bird house, and our attempt to :
prepare our little  balcony to be a corner oasis for us , and hopefully a refuge for nature's creatures in Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall - Family Spring project 2011
Well, this year, around mid-March we joyously discovered that a pair of blue tits actually took residence in our bird house, and were already very busy, and in the middle of creating a nest.

one of the parent blue tit as we discovered it taking interest in the bird house, a bit later after taking this photo we learned that they were already busy building their nest - 23rd of March, 2012
close up of the blue tit - 23.03.12

close up of the blue tit- - 01.04.12
For everyone in the family, this is a first ever experience: providing a place for birds to create their home, where they could nurture their young family.

a collage created 11th of April, was shared and blogged here


view from our kitchen window, the blue tit sitting on the fence, seen upper right of the picture - 11.04.12

P quiet happy to replenish the bird food :)

the birdhouse with the new bird food, shaped like a house- 11.04.12

blue tit on the tree right in front of our balcony, waiting if it's safe to go in the birdhouse - 11.04.12
blue tit about to take flight, and go in the birdhouse - 11.04.12

blue tit parent feeding fledgling, it's head barely sticking out of the hole - 27.05.12

fledgling cozy in the birdhouse, waiting for mom & dad to come back - 27.05.12

fledgling with beak wide open, one of it's tiny feet protuding- 27.05.12
We have been in the Netherlands, since the Spring of 2009, and I made a silent promise to myself, as we begun with establishing our residence here - or as one could say, in the spirit of our hard-working blue tit family, as we created our own "nest" in Holland - to make more effort to record the beauty of our surroundings, and the wonderful creatures we discover around us.

One of the many reasons I love 365 projects is, it gives you the extra push and motivation to capture images, you would normally not pay attention to because it's always there, it always reoccur - like  how the season slowly changes, and the small miracles within each season, like how birds lay eggs, how they hatch and the busy activity of feeding fledglings until they live their nest.

If you have been a long time reader/blog follower, it would be obvious by now, how I love the changing seasons; the magic nature (re)creates, each and every year. 

Two years ago, I was finally able to complete a collage of the changing seasons, witnessed from the view in front of our living room window:

collage, blogged and shared here - clockwise:
upper left corner ~ Summer, 24th of July, 2010 - 17:21
upper right corner ~ Autumn, 30th of October, 2009
lower right corner ~ Spring, 19th of May, 2010 - 08:18
lower left corner ~ Winter, 17th of December, 2009
Several times, in different media platform, I've shared this collage,and  written what it means to me. I am sure I would be doing so again in the future, and I am quiet sure, that I will never tire of sharing it again and again because it represents (at least for me!) a positive essence of how exciting,  fascinating and magical change & renewal can be.

Showcased in this collage are the three trees just across our home. I no longer take pictures of them as religiously, as I used to but I continue to take pictures of trees in our area, as often as I can, hoping to have a complete set again to share another collage of trees through the changing seasons.

What I have not been able to do as much as I would like to, is take pictures of the different birds we see almost daily on our way to school or while biking around our area.

Sometimes, I am in too much of a hurry to stop, and can only admire the birds fleetingly.  Or  it's the other way around - I have time but the birds don't. :P

Often, the images I take are not good enough to share (read: the beauty, and the emotion I feel when I capture an image is not translated by the camera).

a sparrow, that caught Littlest eye while she sat behind me on the bike, image was first shared and blogged here

This is why I am over-joyed when the blue tit  family built their nest in the birdhouse we hang on the wall on our modest balcony.

 It might seem silly to others but this experience brings so much joy to me and my family.

Yesterday, eldest daughter witnessed how one parent blue tit was feeding the hungry fledgling, and she remarked,"Awww, they are very caring creatures!"

As we always do, we shared our mommy & daughter  "awww moment" with our"awww faces" to each other, shared a big silly wide smile, quick happy  peck & hugs.


The blue tit family, afforded me and my own family the chance to pause, and witness a simple beauty of what life & nature is truly about. A strong, vibrant reminder, yet again, of what is most important.

I wish the quality of the images would be better, but somehow the images we did take and shared here, translate "enough" how we feel about the privilege of being a part of something that is older than all of us, what should actually be "private, but oh so beautiful to witness:

Life, how it is created and nurtured.  Life could be - if we allow it - so basic, so simple and oh, so wonderful.
We love, we nurture, and we repeat the process, every year, throughout the seasons. - lesson learned this Spring, from our blue tits fledgling & their parents.

As Summer approaches, I aim to focus even more on the beauty of what is just right in front of me, and  nurture my connections deeper, with those I hold most dear: my family, my friends, & those who share the dream of being a positive change in the world.

What have you learned this Spring? And what do you look forward this Summer?



33 comments:

  1. But here in the Philippines. summer has officially ended. :)

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  2. I love Spring.. its my favorite season.

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    1. Every year, I fell in love with Spring, all the more :)

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  3. Summer is almost here in the US too.grasses are starting to turn brown and the temperature is changing.why don't just summer down show up this year, lol. I like to have a birds house too.

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    1. Yes,it's the same here, they are now mowing the grass while the weather is mild, and can't catch fire yet.

      I thought bird houses were complicated to maintain, but like what nature is all about, the birds take care of themselves, and we get to watch a miracle!

      I feel the same with Spring as you do for Summer! :D

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  4. I love the photo collage showing the four seasons. I hope we have four seasons here but apparently we only have two the warm season and the warmer season. =>

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    1. Yes, it's a collage I am very fond of. Thank you for sharing my joy with it. :)

      I do miss the seasons in the Philippines, even though I adore the four seasons.

      Like yesterday, we had thunderstorms but it was cold, you can't take a shower like we can in the Philippines! lol

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  5. hello ms joanna. :)

    like sir franc, i also love your collage! it makes me really think how time passes by as well. it's such a beautiful thing to know that you and your family are taking care of beautiful birds. i've had a lot of them when i was younger and enjoyed taking care of them too. :)

    take care.

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    1. Awww, you are very lucky to have had those childhood experiences. I miss out on taking care of little birds, as a child.

      All the more fun to share it with our girls. :)

      Yes, exactly, you articulated what I feel about following the four seasons. Thank you for sharing the joy!

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  6. I think it is exciting to experience change in the season especially to notice how things around change in appearance as well.

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    1. It is, very much! :)

      I'll very much miss it if we ever need to move to a place where they don't have four seasons.

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  7. Summer has ended in the Philippines pero medyo mainit pa rin minsan hehe.. Love your photos, looks so refreshing, looks so vibrant..Stay joyful!!Take care!

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  8. Waaah cute photos!, How I wish we have snow here in Philippines haha :D

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    1. Well, if I am not mistaken, they do snow imitation in different countries. Perhaps there is a way to find out where?

      Here in the Netherlands, they also can go skiing even in the middle of Summer, you just need to go to this facility, and it does cost quiet a sum of money.

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  9. nice capture. Hope there are also four seasons here haha.

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  10. the bird didn't fly away ? wow D:

    summer here just ended . less heat yay lol

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  11. I wish to personally experience the 4 season and not just sing it in a song. 2 lang kasi ang panahon sa Pinas hehehe.

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    1. lol you made me smile with your comment because I thought of Karen Carpenter singing, "Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, all you've got to do is call..."

      Sorry, can't censor my thoughts sometimes. :)

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  12. my lips gets chopped whenever I'm in cold places i still prefer the 2 seasons here in Philippines.

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    1. I don't blame you! :)

      I miss our climate, too. But will awfully miss it if I will have to give up experiecing different kind of seasons

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  13. That cutie bird was the official sign that that summer is near. hehe.. About the image, ok lang yan don't worry. Enjoy the Dutch summer ate Jo!

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    1. Salamat sa pagdaan, kapatid! :)

      You inspire me with your blogs.

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  14. This is so inspiring and such a feel good read that I just had to read this twice. The blue tilt family is beautiful! You're lucky to be able to have witness life's pattern of miracles:)

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    1. Awwwwwwww, thank you for the heartwarming comment, Blanca. :)

      Yes,we had the same thought, we felt very grateful to wintess the small miracle!

      We are watching out for them to perhaps "visit" and sit on the brances of the tree in front of our balcony but I think, they've move on to other adventues elsewhere.

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  15. What's best about the Phil is the weather. :) casue it's confusing! :))

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  16. Naguluhan ako. Hindi pala sa Philippines. :)

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  17. Ang galing! Nakakatuwa sobra yung mga photos ng ibon. Dito, the birds are scared of people e. :(

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  18. I've always dreamed of experiencing spring. I'd say it's my favorite season, even if we don't have it here. LOL. But I think I'd also like autumn, the colors are warm. <3

    The baby bird looks like it's telling you to get out. Jk. :P

    I love the 4-season collage. It's so pretty! <3

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  19. I almost forgot on the other end of the hemisphere (like in the US) summer has Just begun.

    They say summer here officially ended, I don't think so. XD

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  20. If only we have Spring here in the P.I.
    haaayy

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