The nest in the honeysuckle by the front door had four noisy chicks. They were noisy and growing – well cared for by their parents. Watching the process from nest building to fledging taught me a few things about taking care of business.
Hard work pays off, but there is always something that can get in the way. I watched as the parents flew back and forth bringing nest material, all the while tucking and weaving the desired shape of the home for their eggs. They knew how it should be – the height of the sides, and the width in the vine to hold the four eggs securely. The nest is a masterpiece, resistant to rain and wind. A few times while we were working in the front yard the adults would flee as we walked by (it is right by our front door) and act as if they were wounded by flopping in the grass or squawking at us from a nearby tree to draw our attention from the nest. I was quite proud of them.
As the eggs hatched, and the tiny babies started calling their hunger, the sweet soft chirping grew rapidly into a pretty noticeable racket from these little guys as they got bigger. And always one of the parents would show up promptly to feed them. A few times when we passed the vine it was bumped and those chicks stuck their heads up, their yellow beaks wide open ready for a meal! Often we would see one adult in the nearest tree and another across the yard on the fence.
I was on the front porch watering the potted plants and could see two little chicks climbing in the vines above the nest. I told hubby I thought they were getting ready to fledge. 
Sure enough within a few days the beautiful nest was vacated. Perhaps one of them has flown in briefly to look at the old homestead, but it 
now sits, waiting for another couple to call it home, or a different bird couple will scavenge pieces of it for another nest in one of our big trees.
Cheers!
-N