29 Apr 2019 – Go Retire Psychiatrist

I have some bird garden updates. As of a few days ago, we noticed a 4^th egg was added to the front yard nest. I say that because there is a mysterious triad of birds now associated with the loosely woven and frankly untidy property.

I caught a fair snapshot of a house finch male and female which might explain the nest, although I’m still puzzled for a couple of reasons.

House finch male and female (female in the back and camera shy).

The eggs are white although I’ve read that house finch eggs are usually bluish. The other curiosity is the single chipping sparrow that hangs around and chirps up a storm whenever I get too close to the nest.

Chipping sparrow raising a ruckus (sounding an alarm?)

I can’t find another nest in any of the other front yard garden trees. What’s the motivation for the chipping sparrow? All three get really fussy whenever I’m out there messing around.

I can see the tree from inside our house through the window. I can’t get a clear picture of the bird sitting on the nest because there’s not enough light through the foliage. But every time it moves it’s head, I can see its beak, which looks sort of thick but it’s in the shadows—I don’t think that’s the sparrow.

Both male and female house finch have thick beaks. The male is pictured here; the female is brown with a heavily streaked belly.

As for the back-yard garden, there’s still only two cardinal eggs left in the nest. Mama won’t let me get too close when she’s sitting on them. She gives me that look, “Don’t you eye ball me.”