I am a mother bird. My eggs just hatched. I have three new nestlings, and I am feeling a little overwhelmed because these are my first. They are looking a little slimy and scrawny, but they are mine, they will grow up to look like me. They are now squawking and wiggling around and drawing a lot of attention to us. The other mother birds are starting to stare. Gosh these kids sure are loud! I try to quiet them down, but they keep on squawking. I suppose they are hungry. The other birds are waiting to watch me feed them. If I can't feed them like a mother bird should, they will think I am not fit to be a bird. The squawking is getting louder. I am so nervous I feel I might puke! Woah, yuck! I just puked in my beak a little. This morning's breakfast of bugs tasted a lot better the first time. As I open my beak, the slimy little squawkers nearly jump down my throat. They are eating the bug-puke! Gross. So this is motherhood.
My beak is emptied, and the nestlings are quieting down. I figure after all that hatching, I am in need of a bird bath. The little birdies are curled up in the nest looking like three little furry balls. I fly away, I need to clear my head. That was the strangest thing I've ever done. I see a puddle with some worms in it, and stop for a snack. Then I head over to my favorite little bush, which has just gone to seed. I am famished! I guess that makes sense, since breakfast didn't go down so well. But I am feeling more refreshed in no time, and I head back to the nest, thinking maybe I'll get a nap while the birdies are still asleep.
As I approach my nest, I hear a horrible racket. Oh no! All three nestlings are crying bloody murder and waving their wings about. Insanity has set in. There is no calming them. I wonder how long they've been doing this, and I look around to see if any of the other mother birds have noticed. I notice one eyeing me in the tree next door. She's heard the commotion, and she's giving me that look. I try putting my wings around the birdies. I talk softly to them, "It's all right little birds, hush, hush. I just went for a little fly, I didn't go far." But it's no use. If they don't cut it out, some one's going to report me to bird services. The whole thing is making me feel sick all over again, and, oh there we go. My snack of worms and seeds is in my beak. Again the little monsters stick their beaks right in there and gobble the mushy mess right up. Then, just as suddenly, silence. They are curled up in the nest again, like there was never any problem in the first place.
So, off I go, to get myself some thing to eat, again. Down at the puddle I meet my friend, who hatched four birdies last week. "Did your eggs hatch yet?" she asks.
"Yes, this morning" I answer "they sure take a lot out of you." I wasn't sure if I was referring to the energy, or the puke.
"I know" she says. "I found regurgitation too much for me. I just couldn't handle it."
"That's all I've been doing since they hatched. But, that's the way it is, I guess. It's only for a few weeks."
"Oh, I'm already done with that. I didn't have enough puke to go around, and they were hungry again after twenty minutes."
"I thought that was normal" I pictured my own nestlings, and how they had been so hungry after only ten minutes. "But what other choice do we have?"
"Oh well, regurgitation is best for nestlings, don't get me wrong, but I just couldn't live like that. All I did was eat and puke! I started giving them mashed food from my talons. It's SO much easier!"
"Really? Don't they need the bacteria from your intestine to pollinate their intestines?"
"Oh, that's what the regurgitation fanatics say. They think every mother bird should regurgitate. But this is the way that is best for me, and my nestlings are coming along just fine. Besides, in another week, they'll be getting their own food."
As I finish my worms, I think about what my friend said. I return to my nest, and my birdies are just waking up. Up comes the puke, a little easier this time. The nestlings practically inhale it, and go back to sleep. I was tired, I was hungry, I was wondering if it was really worth it. Would I have enough puke? Should I consider this new way of feeding? I don't want to be called a "regurgitation fanatic", but it seems that, as a species, birds have thrived with regurgitation.
So I fly away to get more food, and I hope maybe I'll meet some birds that do regurgitate. Maybe they can give me some helpful pointers. It would probably help just to know that I'm not the only bird out there doing this. I'm learning that raising nestlings is not easy, and I'd like to have some other birds around.
I return to my nest, thinking about a nap. The little birdies are still asleep, if only for a moment. I curl up next to them, and fall asleep. Soon I can feel them start to stir. I don't want to wake up just yet, so I quickly regurgitate and open my beak. Softly, the sleepy little birds take their food and in moments they are asleep again. As I fall asleep again, I reflect on my new role in life. Someday, these little birds will leave my nest, but I'm not ready for that just yet.
