34/365 Leaving the nest

With all the possible danger that baby birds have to face, their survival is truly commendable.

Think about it: your mom lays her eggs (you and your siblings), and you mature in an open-topped bed made of twigs and grasses, woven together by your doting parents. You're exposed to the elements -- freezing temperatures, raging winds, blinding rain -- and that's before you've even hatched yet.

Then you hatch, and like all babies for a time, you're completely helpless. You still face those harsh weather elements, but now you have an added threat: you're a warm body that may look tasty to a fellow tree-crawling creature.

You grow quickly, as wild animals do to protect themselves, and you're getting adventurous. You start to spread your wings, literally, and try to fly. But here's the catch: if you fall out of the nest too soon, there's no way for you to get back in. Your mom can't pick you up, and you can't fly. You're stuck. And the number of predators on the ground is even higher than the ones that can get you in your nest.

And yet, thousands of baby birds live to become adults every year. How do they do it? Thinking about it gives me a whole new respect for mother nature.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 in direct sunlight at about 6:30 p.m.