Home Depot

On clear mornings, before the heat has risen and the tasks of the day have crowded in, I like to sit on the deck and read my Bible.  It's the best way I know to start the day.  When I first go out, the yard is silent, then, little by little, the wild things pick up their normal activity, and the sounds of life return.

Lately I've had company. Here's the pattern; from the nearby hickory tree I hear the wingbeats of a bird going to and from the feeder.  I hold my breath as the sound comes closer and a tufted titmouse swoops into sight.  It flies to the table in front of me, then flits from chair to chair, cocking its head and studying me to be sure I'm not a threat.  That satisfied, the little titmouse is in the air again, and I feel its wings brush my hair.  After several false starts, it gathers courage, and sits down on my head.  Once there, there's a lot of hair arranging before little beautician flies away. 

These birds usually build nests in tree cavities; if I didn't know that, I'd think they were starting one on my head.  More likely, they're just looking for nesting material, like a local version of Home Depot, and I'm happy to fill that need, as long as they don't get carried away.

When we were kids, Mom drew heavily from a collection of adages to teach us lessons.  I'm reminded of her often repeated one about worries:

You can't keep a bird from flying over your head, 

but you can keep it from making a nest in your hair.

Don sneaked these pictures the other day from the house, and I didn't even know I was married to a paparazzi.

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday
and Camera Critters

Rural Robbery

Don't let those big innocent looking eyes fool you.  This tufted titmouse is a burglar.  It's possible that he could be excused for robbing insulation from the Carolina wren's winter shelter, as he may not have fully understood the ramifications of his actions, but this week's burglaries were deliberate and premeditated.

We've caught him red-handed on 3 occasions, dipping into the Carolina wren's carefully constructed home in the fish basket and robbing nesting material.  The Carolina wrens haven't been seen for a few days now, and since they are smaller than the titmice, it's just possible that they tucked their tails between their legs and retreated to one of their
alternate home sites.

It's not like there is any lack of nesting material available here; the yard and woods are full of grasses and twigs for any bird willing to look for them.  The titmouse even found the stash of Barley's hair that we put out for the purpose, and carried it off in large fluffy beakfuls.

This week's events shouldn't surprise me.  Those little birds, I know, are opportunists.  While walking in the woods this week I stopped along the trail, and one of them flew close, flitting from branch to branch and and circling around me, chattering all the while.  I may have ventured too close to his nest, but more likely, to my thinking, he was checking out the nesting material on my head.  On 2 occasions in the past, one of these birds has sat on my head and pulled out hair.  No kidding.

We hope the Wrens will be back, even for a second nesting, but what happens next is anybody's guess.

It's a jungle out there.

For bird photos from around the world,
go to World Bird Wednesday.


For exquisite photos of birds to the south of us,
check out this site:
Pasión por las aves.