Yuppers, Maw & Paw Burd, the Killdeer parents, returned to their Driveway Condo
in the late spring of 2005 ... *before* I hired the Big Plastic Hawk.

Maw & Paw began attacking the Bus and the Mutts (poor Bowz ... he really did NOT understand
being *chased* by the two little Winged Warriors! I patrolled the drivway so many times
looking for where they'd established that year's Condo that they almost quit trying to
frighten me away ... I wondered if they'd actually set up housekeeping OFF the drive in the grass?

I drug out the Burd Protective Barriers ... two cinder blocks and two sawhorses.
I enlarged their *safe zone* to over half the length of the driveway, and swore off the first
mowing of the year - the Lawn Maintenance Crew of Odd Job & Woody would get an extra week off.
And the grass GREW! (Except where we were DRIVING on it whilst NOT using the driveway!)

Maw & Paw Burd suddenly turned *nasty* and became quite defensive of THEIR driveway ...
The Dawgs were no longer welcome to *swing by to check* on their way to the side or back yards;
The Bus was NOT welcome to *pass in the grass* ... 3 Dawgs and 1 Hoomin drove
past every day with all eyes *peering* out and scanning the drive.

THERE IT IS, DAD!!
Clipp & Clopp went beserk on the way out on the Grassway in the Bus one morning ...
poor Bowz almost got *smushed* in the stampeed to his window ... I couldn't see a thing!
Did "we" have another crop of "Wrapped Baby Burds" somewhere?

That night I did another recon of the driveway --- WITH aerial sorties being flown by
both Maw & Paw - the Three Guard Dawgs huddled together for safety on the front porch.
I found it ... 4 lil Burds wrapped in their tiny protective, speckled shells, waiting for
a hot Burd-Butt to come back and keep 'em warm to hatch-out day arrived.
Same address as last year, they just picked a slightly different apartment.
I decided I'd wait to take snappies on a sunny day.
I moved in the *safety zone* barriers and reclaimed a hundred feet of driveway.

All was well for a week or so - Burd #1 frozen on the "nest" as we motored on by, with
#2 flying protective cover and doing the Killdeer *crash landings* and broken wing/leg *dancing*.

Then suddenly one evening the Burds weren't "home" when we slid by on the way up the Grassway.
Uhhhh-Ohhhhh
I dashed down on foot to check ... NUTZ! NO Kids, NO shells, NO Maw & Paw.)
WAY too early for the Kids to have hatched and hopped off.

I saw Maw & Paw circle silently overhead a couple days later ...
But they never landed anywhere near the Condo.
We left the driveway barriers up for another week in tribute to the Missing Kids;
but fear they were egg-napped by a hungry predator.
God's Will be done.

--------------------------------
2006 Burd Tail

Maw & Paw Burd did return to the Driveway Condo Complex in late Spring, 2006 ~
but their stay was very short. The did fly cover over the driveway - but never got
worked up over the Dawg visits ... I walked the drive, front yard, pond yard -
and never got much *fuss* from either one of them.
I hope they found a safer apartment that year.

-----------------------------------------------
2007 and 2008 - No Burds, No Tails ...

We haven't seen nor heard May & Paw Burd these last two years ...
"Our Pair" should be GrandParents by now - I sure hope The Kids learned from their
Driveway Childhood and have picked better locations to raise the GrandBurds!

It's warming up - the grass is growing - and the Burd Condo has been *trashed* by
the early thaw and Late-season snow plowing ... we need some major overhauling in
the slag & gravel department before we're ready to host more *squatters*!

Maybe I SHOULD go get us a Big Plastic Hawk!

/s/ Burd Granpaw Phred