Do bird hearts break?

I stepped outside a bit ago to breathe some fresh air and refill a few hummingbird feeders. Out front, I heard a bird fussing. A lot. I looked up in the huge live oak and spotted a blue jay, no, two blue jays, jabbering and fluttering their wings. Another jay perched on a nearby branch. Impatient, she bumped into one, then disappeared higher in the branches. Babies, nearly on their own, I thought. She's trying to tell them it's time to grow up and separate.

Do bird hearts break, I wonder?

The babies, maybe three of them now, fluttered their wings and continued to cry. I knew what they wanted. Food. And for her to find it for them. Feed them, too. Like mothers do. And always have. But for all mothers, the job ends, the work is done. It's time for children to grow up, leave, provide for themselves. That's what this blue jay mother was trying to do. I felt sad and glad for her. I understood.

Do bird hearts break, I wondered again.

Finally, she flew across the street and hid among more branches. The little ones, still fluttering and crying, didn't see her escape. She could still hear them, I'm sure. It can't have been easy, even for a bird. But she knows...I do, too...that her youngsters will learn very quickly to forge on their own, find shelter, look for a mate someday. She did her job. She was a good mother. But still, I wonder....

Do bird hearts break?