My husband's mother had him take down a tree in her yard over the long weekend, and they discovered a nest of baby birds within. So some rescue work was done: I gathered the birds into a paper towel'ed bowl and called the local wildlife sanctuary, but of course, my memory failed me because my mother-in-law has actually taken coursework on animal rescue through that very sanctuary. She knew exactly what to do, but I think she also knew I had to feel like a mama, or seem capable to my littles, so she said nothing until the lightbulb went off for me (I can't remember if I remembered on my own, or if my husband gently reminded me). Either way, I learned an interesting myth was not true: birds cannot smell, so they wouldn't smell our "human smell" on their babies. They will still fret from another tree, and in the end, the mama didn't come back, even after tethering the tree top to another tree in the yard and putting the nest back into it, so after we left, Sue drove the birds to the sanctuary where they were taken care of. But while we were still visiting, Maya sang lullabies to the birds and later when the excitement died down, she made their portrait.
