Dear Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow (and family),
I'm missing you.
I love how you nest just under the eaves outside my studio window. As usual, I noticed you raised two separate broods this year--the first in early spring and a second in early summer.
I miss the scratching and peeping overhead as I work at my computer.
I miss the swooping shadows of you (the Mr. and Mrs.) as you bring in bugs and try to keep up with the voracious appetites of your young ones.
I miss the entertainment you provided for the cats. You made their whiskers quiver and their teeth chatter as they watched your every feathery movement. I know you knew what you were doing every time you perched on the phone line just outside the window. You love taunting them don't you?
I hope you didn't mind when I put out a little makeshift apparatus of branches this year when one of your adventurous little ones in your second brood decided to "fly" (more like drop) from the nest. I wanted to make sure he or she had a way to practice flying and have a high enough perch it could climb on its own until it could get over to the big rose hedge not too far away. I was so happy it only took less than a day for that to happen. I didn't want the garden kitty to get your little one. You both did so well in keeping track of him or her (I hope you don't mind that I was watching and keeping track too).
I always wonder if you will be adventurous and try to squeeze in the raising of another brood in August before the fall comes. I guess you know better. The weird fluctuation of heat and cool in August would probably be too hard on eggs and chicks. You're probably pooped out and need a good break anyway.
I guess I'll see you around the garden. Hope you're enjoying the bread crumbs I've been putting out. Hopefully they go well with summer bugs. I'll put sunflower seeds out when it gets cooler and the bugs get scarce.
Until next spring,
Cindy
I love watching bird families!! We had Carolina Wrens that nested in my rose pots outside the greenhouse, and Mockingbirds that raised two families in nests built in the roses on my rambler fence. It's so entertaining to watch the wren babies ... the Mockingbird parents won't let me get that close.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't wildlife make for wonderful entertainment?! We once had a pair of ducks that kept us occupied for hours. I couldn't get over how different their personalities were from one another. We were so sad when fall came and they flew away. Hope you have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteI hope they return every spring!
ReplyDeleteYour letter to the sparrows is so beautiful, Cindy:)
ReplyDeleteI too love birds and watching them care for their families.
We used to regularly feed lots of parrots that visited everyday when we lived in the country.
Some become so friendly and can be hand fed, very special:)
Have a lovely Sunday.
Wendy
That's beautiful....
ReplyDeleteI miss the little birds, we hardly see any of them right now. The crows have moved in and taken over the entire neighbourhood. Thugs.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
They always look so grumpy, those little guys. I would love to have birds nesting within viewing distance.
ReplyDeleteOh we know what you mean about meaning our families of birds. We have a tree swallow family that come each year... and I always feel bereft when we see the young ones leave the nest and the whole family is gone with a whoosh.
ReplyDeleteWe had masses of finches this year... they were a treat to watch at the feeders, especially when the young started coming. They'd vie for position with all manner of peeping and squawking. They're gone now too.