The Bird Sanctuary

Little did I know upon coming home with those darling little bundle of Guineas that I would soon be opening a bird sanctuary. I have yet to name it, but it's open and operating.

I started out feederless and have progressed to six feeders and a chicken coop. This new combination of food and Hens has left this place crawling with birds. Chickadees and juncos bounce around The Tree and mourning doves dot the power lines. Bluebirds and blue jays flit through the yard, and for a second year the house wren has returned to her nest above the kitchen window. The first set of babies have just hatched, and the nest is too high for us to really spy, but we can see tiny tail feathers peeking out. give them a few days and they too will be flying around this place.  The Pheasant's been spending more time around, getting closer and closer to the house. We used to only see him out in the field until one day he appeared in the back yard. Now he makes a regular appearance. The Hens have begun to return his call from the field.

We've also, apparently, acquired a turkey. The other day as Lou got ready for school, she and my Other Half watched a turkey make his way across the street to hang out with the Hens. The birds stared at one another, separated by the street, for a few moments before the Hens went back to eating. The turkey came over and ate with them. He left as soon as the front door opened, but we've seen him around, spending more and more time with the Hens. I can only imagine what kind of children they'll have...

And for some unknown reason, we've had more than a few ducks wandering the yard. It makes no sense, there's no body of water here, but here they are, none the less.

In short, this place is littered with birds. But on second thought, sanctuary might not be the correct term.

For one we've got three rowdy dogs. That's enough to keep the birds on edge. Not to mention the two cats who are more than ready to catch a bird snack. And then there's Lou. It's a favorite pastime of hers to keep the Hens on their toes. She's runs after them and they run in circles like maniacs. They're not smart enough to fly away, or even just run away. Instead they squawk and run in circles until Lou tires of her game.  She's also not a fan of the birds that live in HER pine tree.  So I often catch her yelling at them to leave, she's trying to have a goddamned tea party!

And the Hens are none too fond of our new sanctuary status.  They don't mind the little birds in the trees, but they chase after the ones on the ground.  Hen 1 (recently renamed Otis) runs after them and honks until they retreat to higher ground.  She also scares away the mama wren when she wanders into the garden.  Those bugs belong to her!

So maybe I haven't opened a bird sanctuary after all.  Maybe all I've done is created more chaos for our already chaotic yard.

Oh well, it's calming for me, so I'll call it a sanctuary.