Baby Myna Birds

         In the month of may, two Myna Birds started building a nest in a palm tree right outside our door! We watched this for awhile, and though we didn't notice it for awhile, the mother Myna started laying eggs. It wasn't till a long time that the eggs started to hatch. We knew this because we heard incessant peeping (or chip, chip, chip) coming from the nest.
         As soon as they were strong enough, they started to peek their little heads over the nest to see
 the world.

          Soon, we saw the mother Myna searching for food. She brought back all kinds of stuff like worms, big juicy caterpillars, and some moths. We managed to get a picture of the mother Myna holding two or even three moths in her mouth!

         As the baby Myna Birds got bigger they got hungrier. The mother Myna and the dad Myna were working very hard to meet every need of the little baby Myna Birds ( let me just call the parents, Mom and Dad and the baby bird in the middle of the other two, Chippy, and the one two the right, Brownie, and the one to the left, Chocolate).

In this picture, Chippy, Brownie, and Chocolate are about to get fed. Their saying in a high pitched voice, Chip! Chip! Chip! And occasionally, in a low pitched voice, Squack!

                                          They were definitely growing

      Mom found a big juicy grub for them

Soon the babies got so big that they had to leave the nest. So Mom taught them how to fly. Soon, they could all fly very well.

         One day I was taking out the garbage and I heard a peeping sound coming from a hill. I had been wondering where the babies where. Then I saw them hopping.

 Brownie is growing into a very large, strong Myna Bird. 

         Chocolate is Growing into to a very beautiful Myna Bird.

         And chippy, though he was the runt, has successfully made it to adulthood.

THE END...

...I THOUGHT   

It's been about three-fourths of a year now and I haven't seen Brownie, Chocolate, or Chippy anywhere. Today I saw them. They were all together, chirping happily in a language only myna birds know.

One of the Most Unexpected Things In My Life

I was canoeing down snake river in the Tetons with my brother(Lochlan), my dad, and my friend's dad, Mr. Kile. We kept hearing and seeing things that we wouldn't normally hear or see like beavers slapping their tales on the water, and elk making sounds in the forest next to us. It was evening time and it was getting dark.



         As we rounded a corner, we saw something white floating in the water. We got closer, and closer. We were very close when I finally made it out. It was a Trumpeter Swan! 




(Trumpeter Swans are very big, white birds. They are the heaviest birds native to North America. They were hunted down to nearly extinction in the 19th century and early 20th century.) I couldn't belief my eyes! It is rare for anyone to see a real, wild Trumpeter Swan.
         We decided to follow it! It started swimming. In about 2 minutes cars were lined up on the side of the road taking pictures!
         I'll never forget that day.

          -Mason Benintendi