Good news and Bad news

The great news is that our little friend is back! I hear him pecking away at the window periodically, not as often as before, but enough to know he is still around. I can't believe how happy I am to have the bird back in his domain.

The bad news, of course, is for all of you who may have read my previous post and thought that powerwashing your windows would eliminate the pecking. It seems it's only a temporary solution. But...you may find you miss it when it's gone.

A Sad Day

Waking up to the rain, was depressing after a wonderful long-awaited day of sunshine yesterday. But more than that some the most disturbing thing happened. My husband informed me that the robin's nest was invaded by a predator and all of the birds were devoured. Devastating! He cleaned up the remains so that the children would not find out. I will tell them that the babies are old enough to fly (I just won't tell them that they've flown off to the promise land)

As if that is not depressing enough, Our little friend is no longer tapping at our window. My husband power washed the house with a solution of bleach and water and apparently he doesn't like the smell. So... for all of you that are annoyed by the birds flying into your windows I guess we've found the cure. I, personally, liked his presence but I have seen articles of others who find it a nuisance.

I guess the rain is appropriate after all.

The Robin's Gift of Life

As the days go by, rain or shine, our little friend continues his daring dash at the window-but that is not what I am here to write about today...

A few days ago, my husband found a robin's nest on the fence in our yard. There are three baby birds in it. Newborns, sitting there with their beaks upturned awaiting their mother's deliveries. They are only days old and every time I peek at them it's the same sight- yellow beaks open wide. Still and silent. Other than the faint shivering, you wouldn't know they were alive.

Their mother is never far from them- just go near the nest and you' ll realize that! She comes a squawking protecting her young if you get too close. She lands on the fence with her beak overflowing with food, looks around and then drops the food into the mouths of her babes.

Neither my husband, nor I had ever seen baby birds before. I feel blessed. It's like National Geographic--live. What a marvelous sight, nature at work.

Yesterday, while I was cleaning my pool of all the winter debris, my little friend watched in the distance. I enjoyed the company tremendously! I'm fascinated to see him claim his territory. We bought the land when we bought the house, but it all means squat to him. LOL I love it. That's the way it should be!

"Our little friend" is what we have been referring to our backyard bird as. He has cooled down a bit with the window pecking. He is no longer tapping his beak at the window from dawn to dusk. He is pecking periodically, but has started venturing away from the rhododendron throughout the day. I love watching him explore his surroundings as he takes claim of our land to the other birds in our yard. I will keep you posted.

Is it trying to tell me something?

For about 10 days now a grey catbird has been flapping, pecking and hitting my window. It's the strangest thing! It starts at about 5:30am and continues off and on throughout the day. He perches himself on the rhododendron below the window and flies to and from the window. In fact, I am listening to the melody of his routine as I write.

It's quite fascinating and I have to admit I am intrigued. I can't understand his persistence. What is it that he is trying to accomplish. I am not sure if he is trying to get in or what. He doesn't seem to be phased by our presence. If we stand on the landing in front of him, he continues. If I sit on the porch beside him he continues. I think he is drawn to us or our home.

I watch him everyday and wonder... Is he trying to tell me something?