"And here again is a foreshadowing -- the world will be made whole."
~ Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping
A week ago, having insistently been made aware of what I thought was a house sparrow zipping away from the porch each time the screen door slammed, I finally investigated the gutters for the nest which had to be there.
It had been carefully constructed in a hanging basket of geraniums.
Last night, my google image research convinced me that the birds are house finches ~ the eggs are too blue and too lightly speckled to pass muster as those of house sparrows. Male house finches are splashed with red, so if the father shows up ~ and I presume he will if all six eggs hatch, as there will be plenty of work to occupy both parents ~ I will have a definitive identification.
My grandmother maintained a small museum of birds' nests, which she used to present to school groups and classes whenever she was invited to share her store of avian knowledge. For several summers, a pair of wrens nested in her clothespin bag.
I have become my grandmother! Not a bad fate.
Definitely house finches. They love to nest in hanging baskets - making it hard to water those baskets when a nest of eggs and/or babies is present in one.
ReplyDeleteYes, I watered very carefully the other day! I have a feeling that when all is said and done, there won't be much left of the geranium.
DeleteBirds are a lovely expression of the infinite creativity of the Almighty. I always feel closer to that Spirit when birds are near. They are a special gift.
ReplyDeleteHow delightful! My family and I were amused, engaged, fascinated, and delighted when a bird family (sparrows, I think) built a nest and tended to their babies in the plum tree right outside our back door. It was great fun to watch the babies as they grew and then, one day, flew away.
ReplyDeleteI am SO hoping that this nest is a success!
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