Long term readers may remember the stunt where I used the now deceased Smoking Betty (my pickup) as a jury rigged shield for a nest of Cardinals in the cherry tree in our front yard. The result was a bevy of female cardinals that have gone on to go find some eligible cardinal gentlemen to set up house with. I'm happy to report that their parents, the original Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, seem to have returned and appear to be antsy to set up a nest somewhere on the grounds of the Casa Nizz.


The branch they normally use was snapped by a passing bus last year (validating my decision to park a truck underneath it during nesting season), so we haven't located the new nest yet. I wish Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal every success in 'doin the Cardinal nastay'.. and hope we shall have some smaller piping voices soon.

And so the cycle of life continues.

Tragedy

The other night, right after our dusting of snow, I was heading out for an errand.. and turned around just in time to see a Metro Bus smack right into one of the two cherry trees in my front yard. A sickening snap was heard! And the bus drove on.





I can't tell you how heartsick this makes me. Birds nest in this tree. Gar climbs in it. In the Spring, the cherry blossoms make the neighborhood look like cotton candy. You might recall the incident with the Cardinal babies. This was their nesting branch (and in retrospect, using Smoking Betty to quarantine the area was a very, very good idea.

If we lose this tree, it will be like losing an old friend.

Empty Nest Syndrome

My girls, for such they proved to be, have taken flight. I have two new female cardinals in the neighborhood They are now flying around like pros and will, eventually, be out picking up some eligible bachelors. I got buzzed by the girls last night when I got home from the hospital. They are a cheerful pair.

I'll miss the two of them when they go, but I hope they will come back with their new families year after year like their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, have done for several years now.



Link Backs:

Another Point of Singularity: Cardinal Report

Another Point of Singularity: Local Guests

My How they have grown!

Bird Report...

My little pin-feathered pals are quite huge now and growing amazingly fast, faster than I would have thought possible.



I can attest that mom and dad cardinal have taken good care of their charges because they are getting dangerously fat for their nest. The pin featers are dropping out and real adult feathers are coming in. Both chicks are still brownish which would indicate that they might be females.

Any day now, I suspect I'll have empty nest syndrome... sigh. It's been fun having guests. They grow so quickly.

Throughout the short cycle of hatching and growth, my pickup has been parked underneath the nest to keep the chicks from being knocked out by passing busses and mail handlers striking the cherry tree branches as they drive past. This policy will continue until I'm certain the birds have grown up and flown away.

Link Back:
Another Point of Singularity: Local Guests

Why my truck won't be moving for a month or so

We have two gigantic cherry blossom trees in the front yard that are pretty much the bane of the lawn's existence. They look gorgeous in Sprintime, as every house on the block has one or two-- it makes for a great display. One of the great features of cherry trees is they have lots of little branches that are ideal for birds.

Imagine our delight when we noticed that a family of cardinals, Virginia's state bird, have set up shop in one of the cherry trees. No surprise, this.. cardinals routinely nest in the surrounding area but they are rarely this easy to see.

Unfortunately this particular birds nest is on a branch that overhangs the street slightly. Putting it squarely in the path of the occassional brush by the 18P Express line and the occassional rampaging postal truck.

So I've parked my truck underneath it. This way, any bus driving by will have to give our guests a wide berth.



I like cardinals. They are colorful, mate for life,and always return to the same place every year to have babies.

We also have several robin and thrush families in residence.