Nest

Nest is a very small place to live in. It is a specific structure made by the bird itself. For some species of birds, a nest is simply a shallow depression made in sand; for others, it is the knot-hole left by a broken branch, a burrow dug into the ground, a chamber drilled into a tree, an enormous rotting pile of vegetation and earth, a shelf made of dried saliva or a mud dome with an entrance tunnel. The smallest bird nests are those of some hummingbirds. They are tiny cups which can be a mere 2 cm across and 2-3 cm high. At the other extreme, some nest mounds built by the Dusky Scrub fowl measure more than 36 ft in diameter and stand nearly 16 ft tall. In most species, the female does most or all of the nest construction, though the male often helps.

A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. It is a very beautiful scene to look at. It is sweet home of birds. Not every bird species builds or uses a nest. Many ground nesting birds don't build a nest. Nest is a small but a beautiful shelter of birds usually, amidst two branches on treetops. Nest is found attached to house roofs too. A nest is built in bushes also. There are other than birds who build nests also. A bluegill builds its nest in shallow water very close to shore. It is a fish only.. A nest is symbolic of a happy home. How nicely birds collect pieces of hay and other tit bits, which have fallen here and there and carry it to treetops and arrange to make it their dwelling place. What an amount of strain they take. A nest is an elegant nice place, which is artistic. One would definitely wonder how small birds could build such a beautiful shelter. It is their master planning and creation. Birds do not need an architect or a mason to plan and build nests. Nest is a self made cottage. In most species, the female does all or most of the nest construction, though the male often helps. Birds may not need and may not have kitchens in their nests. Since, they do not cook their food. Nests are spongy. White, silky strand of spider web is sticky stuff and it makes fantastic glue for keeping certain bird nests together. Spider webs are sticky so that insects caught in them have a hard time escaping. Lichens adore the nest's exterior many times. They help waterproof the nest and camouflage it. Only great poets find words to explain a nest colorfully. Two parrots or two doves, one male and another female sitting in front of a nest with two white eggs in between with greenery around pose for a photograph without being asked. Generally each species has a distinctive style of nest. Nest types vary from the very simple scrape, which is merely a shallow depression in soil or vegetation, to the elaborately woven pendant or sphere; some bird species use cavities in trees or dig burrows into the ground.

Whether it is made up of stones or mud, however big or small, beautiful or ugly a human dwelling place is, it is their nest. There's no other place like it to them at all. It is their shelter. It is one of their essentials of life. A good home must be made, not bought. That is why many people name their house, as “NEST. It is a popular name. Many companies, stores etc bear this popular name. Nest is one of New Zealand's premier home ware retail companies with 8 stores nationwide. Nest can be called a pavilion. It is a resort. Just like a player who returns to pavilion after playing his or her part in the game, birds and humans return to their nest after completion of their tasks for it is their home. It is abode of peace and calmness. It attracts one through love and affection that it generates in one for it. Charity always begins at home. There is nobody in this world that does not like their place of dwelling. It is a place where one lives one’s life and where one spends either one’s happiest or saddest moments. Homely atmosphere is always different. Wherever one may go whatever may be the comforts, one does not feel at home. One waits when they could return home. In this context, one anxiously counts clicking of clock. They try to finish their work at the earliest for the purpose. It is not home sickness. Returning to their home is always a special moment. Whatever may be one’s duration of stay in a dwelling place, one cannot forget their dwelling place. It has a special place carved in one’s memory. One is generally well acquainted with every nook and corner of their dwelling place. We human get our house built whereas Nest is toil of birds themselves. Those who have parrots, doves etc at home buy cages.

Whether it is a nest or a bungalow home is a memoir. When we look at our home how many memories emanate in us. We leave back our legacies in our home only. There is no separate heaven or hell. It is a home that is either a hell or a heaven. When there is every kind of prosperity in a home it is a heaven. It is a beautiful garden. When there is all kind of problems a home is a hell.

A home depicts one’s existence. One is identified with their home. Whether it is sun, rain, chill, wind, or prestige four walls of a house always protect occupants. Similarly, nest protects birds from rain, chill, sun and wind. God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest. Nest is a store where birds store whatever grains we humans throw as unwanted. It is a place where the grains picked up from the fields by birds are stored too. All birds are not vegetarians. Some birds eat insects and live. Some live on snakes, lizards, small rodents, and other birds. In a way birds help us to keep a place neat and clean. Further what a forethought they have they store food for the contingencies like bad weather, when the female bird is pregnant, when one of them is sick, for the newborns etc When they cannot go out generally they have excess stock of grains in nests or birds from neighboring nests come to the rescue. Whenever there is danger they can smell it and make a retreat. Safety is always their watchword.Birds know weather better than any meteorologist.

Generally in forests we come across cluster of nests. Birds come out of their nests hopping for playing normally. No sooner did they feel a little insecure they fly back to their nests. On every one of these occasions they provide us with beautiful scenery. When they go out of nest in the morning birds make noise and it is a music, which heralds dawn, and in the evening when they return to the nest also they make a noise, which reminds us it is dusk. Those noises are really melodious to ears. Once we listen to them we love to hear it again and again. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang. Cuckoo bird is known for its call. Calls are usually relatively simple, resembling whistles, flutes, or hiccups. Of course no one would like to hear ka, ka sound made by crows. Really, it is horrible. Sometimes being unable to bear it people throws stones at them. But it is found to make to beckon other fellow crows to share the booty that may be either food thrown by us or an animal lying dead there. Mother used to prophecy that somebody would be coming to our house whenever crows used to come near our house and pester us with “ka ka” continuously. More than anything else what a beautiful scene birds make while flying out of their nests in groups in the morning and also while returning to their nests in groups the evening.They do twists and twirls in air which one does not come across in any circus. What an understanding, what a unity. Birds know unity is strength. Generally they live and let others live also and cause least inconvenience to others too. They spread principle of co-existence. They teach us community dwelling. When there is fire in the nest, how they fight it out is a lesson for us. They stand together and fight together and fly to the safety.

Moreover, most of the birds are beautiful and a source of pleasure to us. We should know how to enjoy life. A thing of beauty is joy forever. These days there are a few joint families among we humans. Even in small families there is discord. There is a proverb that two ladies never agree and two lawyers never agree. There is hardly any amity at all among us. Whether we, human beings have to learn a lesson from birds?. This question haunts us many a times.

Birds which come out of same nest do not fly in same directions. They fly in different directions. They create a beautiful scene. It reminds us children of a husband and a wife who are brought up under same roof do not tread same path. They take up different professions and lead different type of life. The scene also reminds us of days when doves were used to send messages from one place to another. Doves were doing post man’s job in olden days. Now a day we find parrots in cages on roadsides in India doing a astrologer's job. Birds which come out of nests roam all over the world. They have no bounds at all.

Birds have no special day as valentine day. Every day is a valentine day to them. They do not have anything like caste, creed or religion. They do not have anything like wooing courtship or marriage too. There are numerous spices birds. Every variety of bird makes a different tune while taking rest in the nest or at any other place. Poets’ interpret such tunes and give different meanings to it. Some call it a love song. Some call it courtship. Some experts from the tune itself make out which bird it is. Is it not sounds of familiar birds that give us alarm bell and wake us up in the mornings? Birds move from place to place like gypsies. They fly high and far in the skies carelessly and fearlessly depending upon the strength in their wings consisting of feathers. One must live like a free bird without any botheration. There are birds’ sanctuaries all over the worlds. My wonder is how the birds return safely to their nest from far off places after flying in different directions like we human beings who return finally to our home wherever we go. Human nature resembles nature of birds in this respect. Home is the nest of a man. It seems birds fly from continent to continent. How could they make out the way back? Everybody likes the freedom of birds. Everybody likes to be free birds. If the wings are cut off they fall to the ground. Even if the strength of wings decreases they cannot fly so easily. This we can compare to our own life, here power, which we may be having due to our political or official position, wealth, etc are our wings and we can use it as we like it. As soon as our power is reduced or our wings are cut off we fall to the ground. Nobody cares us unless we had used power judiciously wisely for the benefit of one and all. Human body is also a nest only. Human life is compared to that of a bird. When one is dead, the bird is said to have returned to the place from where itoriginated.