Friday, June 26, 2020

ONGOING BIRD BATTLES


Congratulations all around. We had managed to stymie the industrious sparrows trying to establish residence in the patio cover ceiling. Wire mesh is holding. Birds nesting in trees as pre-ordained and desired. All is quiet Sunday.... Then came Thursday. 

There is always a pile of discarded twigs, branches, leaves from the majestic (in her mind) Willow overhanging the patio that miraculously appear overnight...every night. Willows are slovenly dumpers that are deeply into self-pruning and preening apparently. A lot of shade if you can put up with the constant grooming. However there was an odd little pile of twigs and fluff in the middle of the table under the fan. Looking up I groaned as I realized the frustrating cause of the minor twig-nado.

In a measly six-inch wide stretch of board holding the newly-installed overhead fan was Mother Dove in a fully-established nest. Said nest was clinging precariously with its pieces hanging sloppily on either side of what should have been recognized by any bird engineer as a terribly inadequate platform. As the bird bitch was perched tightly "en neste" I assumed it was occupied or soon to be with little replicas of their acrobatic Mother.

With little compassion the fan was turned on (heh, heh). Expecting a flurry of feathers or possibly other bodily fluids I was chagrined to realized it bothered her not a whit. No doubt she felt it was a concession from the "humans" to provide cooling to the maternity ward. ARRGGHH. Not only could she fly away from it without injury, she managed to re-alight with the fan running. Oh joy.  

I can only assume an ongoing battle with Mama and her sprouts. She may have won round 1 but there will be no further acts of defiance. Back in the trees Madam.

                                                     

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