There was a lot of bird nests in the trees in our backyard this spring. I knew where some of them were since I noticed the nests during the winter while the trees stood bare, and some of them were being reused by birds this spring. There also was a lot of new nests, some in most improbable places, at least from my point of view.
Once I was very surprised to see a bird fly out of one of the Leyland Cypress trees that flank our garage door. The bird was clearly unhappy that I was driving into the garage, with my driver-side mirror passing a mere 6 inches away from her tree. I went to look and yes, there was a nest in there. From that time on I made a point not to come close to the tree, but to pause on my way to the car and listen. And a few weeks later I heard chirping of baby birds!
Now it is almost summer and there are a lot of chicks. They are all grown up by now, some almost as large as their parents. Some of them hopped out of their nests and can't get back in. We often see how the grown birds feed them in the grass in our backyard.
The chicks are learning to fly. A few times a day I hear a BOOOM as one of them flies into one of my windows or my deck door. Though the sound is pretty loud, it does not seem to do them much damage… They sit quietly for a minute, looking around, as if wondering what has just happened, and then hop away.
All these hopping birds gave me the inspiration to make Fabio, the 3D Stained Glass Stand-Up Bird. Fabio looks pretty real, has wings and firmly stands on his own. He is very handsome and has a lot of character, hence the name. I named him for Fabio Viviani - a contender on Top Chef and Top Chef Masters.
Fabio the Bird has a lady friend named Celia, and they have quite a dynamic relationship :)