Every time I open my garage door these days, it is accompanied by a frantic flutter of wings, followed by the concerned chirps of the mama bird that decided to nest her budding brood in one of my son’s old bicycle helmets hanging on the wall.
She’s not the first mom bird to do this, as there are a variety of other objects in our garage that have served as “home” for mother birds building nests for their hatchlings. The top of a rollerblade bag, inside the strap of a baseball bag, a small box I was saving, and a skateboard helmet are among the many miscellaneous items that became buildable lots for new nests over the years.
I am mystified as to why any of these mom birds would prefer the cold concrete confines of our garage, when well over an acre of mature hardwoods surrounds our human habitat, yet one does just about every year.
After our recent rains, we have to watch where we walk in our driveway, as there are usually a few small frogs frolicking about, and they’re cleverly disguised as leaves. There aren’t as many spring peepers, nor are they as tiny as they were a decade or so ago, but there are enough that we need to watch our step.
Several springs ago when I was getting our barbecue ready for grilling season, I startled a sleeping glider that had wintered there.
We have red-headed woodpeckers living in a decaying tree that still stands in our backyard, and they occasionally visit on the deck railing.
There was the year our dog brought home every turtle he could find, and there were many. One had bright orange eyes, and was so unusual and intense looking, that my older son wanted to keep him. I reluctantly allowed him to stay, but it was quickly clear by his inescapable and unpleasant aroma that this turtle needed to return to his brethren, so we released him near the creek.
When my youngest son was in single digits, he wanted a bunny so badly, but we were already handling a couple of elderly pets, so I was grateful to God for always providing a few for him to watch as they nibbled the wild strawberries growing in our front and side yards.
Mountain laurel grows wild on our backyard ridge, and the giant bumble bees, butterflies, chipmunks and visiting hummingbirds sold us on the enchantment of our home over two decades ago.
So, I was delighted, but not surprised, to discover that the City of Roswell was recently certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, the 66th community in the country and the third in Georgia, joining Chamblee and Johns Creek, to receive this designation. Our neighbors in Milton are currently working on projects for certification; check their website for details.
With duck, goose and turtle road crossing season rapidly approaching, make mom proud and slow down so they safely reach their destinations.
Vicki Griffin has lived in Roswell for 22 years. You can reach her at vlg1230@hotmail.com
