Living in open country that offered both ranch and crop land, the woman and her husband enjoyed watching the process. When the mother bird started bringing in bits of paper, twine, rags, dry grass and cotton waste, they knew soon the eggs would be laid.

During the incubation period, the female stayed on the nest while the male not only brought her insects, but cavorted in the sky. Having flown to a height of about 100 feet, he would plunge downward, then turn sharply upward. As he repeated his up and down routine, the human family could image a series of Vs written in the air. Emitting a sound from his beak like a high pitched cackle, the male ended his zig-zagging on his last upward swing. Toppling backwards, he would somersault as he tumbled toward the earth. Only a jubilant father-to-be could be so happy.

Over a week had passed when an afternoon storm threatened not only the nest but the homestead as well. As the dark clouds approached from the northwest, a neighbor called the couple to warn them of a possible tornado. Seeking shelter in their storm cellar, the man and his wife took one last look at the bird in her nest.

Following nature’s outrage, the door to their underground quarters opened slowly. Assured that the worst was over, the man and woman emerged. Realizing their home and beloved tree were still standing, they noticed the nest was missing.

Eager to get out of the cellar, their dog had run past them to bark at something in the tall dry grass near a fence line. Since their pet was continuously bringing them critters from the countryside, they decided to investigate. As they came to the spot where the dog was sniffing, they realized he had found the nest with the mother bird still clinging to the sides.

Realizing the bird did not seem frightened by their approach, they felt something was wrong. Carefully, the woman cupped her hands, gently raised both nest and bird, and carried them into the house.

When the call from the wildlife sanctuary in Midland notified us that the couple was bringing the bird and nest to us, we prepared an area for the expectant mother. The female scissor-tailed flycatcher appeared dazed and unresponsive. Even with insects placed close by, the bird was motionless.

A day passed with no food eaten. Fearing the worst might have happened during the night, I was greeted the next morning by the bird standing beside the nest. Expecting to see four to six creamy white eggs spotted with brown, I was shocked to find one deformed egg. Since the mother bird had abandoned it, she must have sensed that her efforts would be useless.

Not knowing if the flycatcher had recovered sufficiently for release, we called the wildlife center. They recommended we bring not only the mother bird, but the nest and egg.

Before putting her in a carrier for the trip, we enjoyed being able once again to see the body colors in contrast to the tail of a scissor-tail. The soft gray feathers on its back and head blended into the white of its throat and breast. Its black wings were accented by its salmon-pink sides and wing linings.

Although its tail was somewhat shorter than the male’s, it was typically black, long, and slender, with white outer feathers with black tips. Since flycatchers can open and shut their forked tails like a pair of scissors in flight, it was a defining part of the species.

Notable was the bird’s large head and flattened bill. Bristles, or whiskers, were at the base of the beak. Although mostly seen perched on telephone wires or fences, the bird was adept at darting from a roost and catching flying insects out of the air.

After arriving at the wildlife sanctuary, a veterinarian took a blood sample to send with the egg to a lab to determine the cause of the deformity. Although we had our suspicions, the answer was long in coming.

Confirming that trace pesticides were evident, the sanctuary placed the scissor-tail in an outdoor area that permitted flight. After another evaluation of the bird, it could be released.

The species, whose presence each year announced the beginning of spring and whose absence heralded the onset of fall, faced a problem with modern technology. The graceful lady had a questionable future.

Bebe McCasland is federally and state licensed to rehabilitate wild birds.