To our great surprise, Sarah noticed the other day that a small bird has decided to take up residence in a flower box attached to the fence around our front yard. At first, we thought there were chicks in the nest, but it now appears that it’s currently home to just one adult bird, presumably an expectant mother, incubating her eggs.
The nest is far enough from our patio door and the flower box is high enough that observing our new feathered friend is difficult, even if one stands on a chair. Nevertheless, I was able to get a reasonable look at her this morning before I went to work.
I described her to a colleague at work, who seems to think she might be a Junco. While there’s some similarity there, I haven’t really been able to see her well enough to say for sure that that’s what she is.
It’s impossible to view her in poor light, so I may have to wait until tomorrow to get another gander at her. I’ll use binoculars to see if that helps with the identification. We have the camera set up on a tripod in the hope that we’ll be able to photograph her. I considered buying a wireless webcam to enable better observation, but I’m worried that situating the camera on the fence above her may disturb her or — God forbid — cause her to desert the nest. I’d never forgive myself.
Do birds even desert their nest? I seem to remember once being told that it’s a myth. I should really google it and find out.
Since we have no long term plans to stay in the Bay Area, we’ve been responsible enough not to take on the responsiblity of pets. That’s lamentable, however, and a home without animals doesn’t seem like much of a home at all. Until we’re settled back in Amsterdam, the presence of animals in our lives is scarce, which is what makes an unsolicited arrival like this such a delightful experience.