So much for the peaceful garden I wrote about in my last post. Today all-out war is being waged there. It’s nesting season, and everyone with young seems to be duking it out to protect them.

At least three crows are trying to steal from the many nests in the trees: squirrels, two families of mockingbirds, hummingbirds, sparrows, and blackbirds. The squirrels alerted everyone to the danger by their peculiar barking and waving of their tails–a sure sign that something is amiss.

Meanwhile, the mockingbirds–brave souls that they are–are diving and pecking at the crows. The other bird species are generally creating distractions. A baby blackbird sits on a wire during all this commotion. Whenever any bird alights, the baby does its little routine of flapping its wings and crying out with a wide open mouth. Apparently, it thinks any bird, not just its parents, should feed it!

Enter my cat, who is quite eager to catch any victim of the fray if it gets close to the ground. I’m sure everyone REALLY appreciates this feline opportunism!

I want to help the animals under attack, but I remind myself that the crows are only trying to feed their young too. Who am I to judge? Crows are bigger and they bully the others, but they are intelligent and want their offspring to live just like everyone else.

I step back and admire the beauty of the moment, as terrible as it may be for the weak ones. All this bravery so that the next generation will live!

If only we humans could be as courageous, and mount such valiant efforts to save our planet for future generations of humans, squirrels, mockingbirds, and yes, even crows.