A Miracle: Mathilde and Marvin
After more than two weeks, I finally see something moving in the nest, and yes, there is at least one chick. A little grey bird, covered in downy spines, with a large dark beak and closed, bulging eyes that don’t seem quite ready for this world yet. I name her Mathilde. Papa and Mama keep taking turns on the nest, and soon I see a second chick as well, a little brother, Marvin.
I expected chicks with beaks wide open constantly wanting to receive tasty morsels from their parents, but this is going very differently. As soon as Marijn or Mariska return to the nest, the chicks dive up to eat from their parents’ crop. It looks intense.
The Wicked Fairy
Very early in the morning, I wake up to banging and clatter and know immediately that this must be an attack on the nest. I jump out of bed and see a large crow fly away. Feathers swirl around, but the nest is undamaged; the pigeons have survived this unwanted visit.
Mathilde and Marvin are growing rapidly and becoming increasingly hungry. Marijn and Mariska continue to take turns as a flying buffet and warm blanket for the youngsters, because their bellies need to be filled and a cold northeasterly wind is blowing across the IJ. When the youngsters are satisfied, they disappear under their mother’s or father’s feathers and sleep to continue growing.
Even More Angry Fairies
One morning, while I am sitting on the couch, two large crows come diving towards the nest. I quickly stand up and wave my arms to chase them away. Not too wildly, because then the defenseless Mariska (or Marijn) will fly away too. The crows give up and peace returns.
When I return home later in the afternoon after an hour’s absence and, as always, inspect the nest first, it is empty. There is no sign of Marijn or Mariska sitting there, and there is no trace of little Marvin and Mathilde. After an hour, Marijn (or Mariska) flies in, sits on the edge, and looks into the nest, sits on it for a moment, hops back and forth a bit, looks around, and then flies away again.
The following days this repeats itself; sometimes the pigeons are together by the nest for a moment. Mariska (or Marijn) has a battered little tail, probably sustained while defending her children in a fight with crows or seagulls. Could the young ones have been gobbled up on the spot or kidnapped? Are a few crow chicks very happy now?
The Starlit Sky
After a week, I removed all the plants from the shelf, including the pot with the nest. Should Marijn and Mariska wish to build a second nest, hopefully they can find a better spot. On a fourth floor, on a facade overlooking the IJ, you are certainly very visible. The pigeons continue to come, now and then. Could Mathilde and Marvin be flying somewhere among the stars now? I miss my winged family. All is a miracle.
