Staff writer
Serenity Gardens owner Jana Dalke was surprised to find something she had not planted growing in her greenhouse.
“This bird would fly in and out, so finally I looked, and there it was,” Dalke said.
It was a cardinal’s nest.
“I found it soon after she laid the eggs,” Dalke said. “She flies out every time I go in to water. My son had seen her carrying materials in to make a nest, but prior to that, I hadn’t noticed.”
Dalke, who found eggs June 6, said they began to hatch last week.
“I was afraid they were going to bake in there,” Dalke said. “It’s 100 degrees outside; it’s probably 130 degrees in there. I was afraid they weren’t going to hatch, but they did.”
Dalke did not consider moving them.
“I decided that mother bird picked her spot and I wasn’t going to mess with it,” she said. “Luckily she picked a spot that I didn’t have to water often.”
Once the babies hatched, Dalke was careful not to disturb them or upset momma bird.
“Cardinals stay in nests for 11 days, so that’s how much fun we’ll have,” Dalke said. “11 days of fun.”
However, 11 days were cut to one. Dalke went to take photos of the birds Saturday, and they were gone.
“I didn’t see any feathers, but momma birds don’t move their young, so something ate them unfortunately,” Dalke said. “I think I saw one of our cats walking by and, you know, I’m sure he just figured it out.
“It’s a bummer, but that’s life.”