Tags
Anthropomorphism, Bird, Downtown Courtyard by Marriott in Pittsburgh, dusky skippers, Furry convention, Furry fandom, Furry Fandom Convention Pittsburgh, House Wren, house wren multiple homes, humming bird mating, luna moth, Pirates vs Sox Series, Pittsburgh
House Wren Family Number One has fully fledged, and Mr. and Mrs. are negotiating the next nest site.
Choices: 
This is the license plate-roofed house that’s always been the starter house each season for our fertile couple. One year they used it for all three of their households, giving me a new way to think about the meaning of the word household. By the end of the summer we’d had–well, it wasn’t us humans, actually, or even at all who had them, except that we DID try be mindful of them and we had rules,such as: when watering the veggies, don’t spray the hose into their doorway; or: don’t pick peas from the pods nearest their house; or: if you do, pick the pod and then step away to munch. (See teepee trellis in the picture with peas climbing up for this year’s harvest) By the end of the summer the parents had created a new generation of at least 15 kids. That’s a lot for a house to hold that’s for sure.
Now it’s time for Family Number Two and Our Dad, The Worthy Provider, is twirling all over the place, tucking twigs in his signature twitchy manner and constantly calling Mom over to check on his work.
He’s put new sticks into the first two houses. He’s like his own realtor; I can picture him inside, fluffing pillows and spraying Homemade Cookie Scent all over.
Here’s Option Number Two, located a few feet back from the Starter House. It’s a pretty traditional, made-from-a-kit bird house, and the two of them moved into it last year for their last set of babies. More scenic? Cooler? Fewer bears?
But it’s the third option he’s pushing, that’s for sure. I have a hanging plant on the railing outside of our slider. On the hook of the planter, in addition to the hanging flower pot, I hung a decorative bird house. (It’s got a decal on it, and it’s made of metal, but it was one dollar at a nursing home rummage sale.) I’ve just watched him manuever a too-wide-for-the-opening twig for several minutes before he figured out how to turn it the other way, with help from his good lady coaching from the sidelines. (It reminds me of myself, giving directions to the men trying to get the mattress in the house and up the stairs.)
Honestly, it’s hard not to anthropomorphize this whole process, which reminds me of something I learned this weekend when in Pittsburgh for the Sox-Pirate series (we won only one of the three games, but adored the field and Pittsburgh).
Trust me, this does tie in with our House Wrens Update.
Image by Xydexx Squeakypony via Flickr
We stayed at the Downtown Courtyard on Penn Ave. There were lots of other Sox fans there too, along with a few prickly Pirates, and THE FURRY PEOPLE.
The Furry Fandom Convention was huge and peopled (probably the wrong word here) with fictional anthropomorphic characters with human personalities and characteristics. We talked to them in the elevator and met them on the street. I watched one man (or woman, or kid, or…who knows!), one gorgeous leopard meow and hiss and then paw the mike of the interviewer. Fake claws though. I guess.
(I have to write a separate entry for this phenom we witnessed, but in the meanwhile check out: http://www.anthrocon.org/about-furry?gclid=CIat7-Om1qkCFaZx5QodX3uONQ)
A few Sox fans–I say only a few because generally we fans are pretty open-minded, except for when we’re dealing with that New York team that begins with the letter Y–a few of the other denizens of our hotel were freaked out, but I’m clueless as to why. I mean how many of us non-furries buy cereal because it’s got a Tiger on the cover, or keep a furry mascot on our rearview mirror–and talk to it–or engage in long back and forth conversations with our dogs?
So–here we go, back to the main topic–so,yes, I’m ascribing some very human emotions to my backyard birds.
During the course of writing this piece, I’ve given the lovebirds a chance to hash the house issue out. And! Drum roll please, but, not too close, not too close! (Think, I’m whispering now.) The choice is the third bird house spot. And for the life of me, it seems daffy, as in crazy, not ducky. I mean it’s Right Outside Our Slider. We sashay in and out of our sun room past this bird house to our deck and gardens all day long. My lettuces grow in pots all along the railing.
(I know, I know, a picture would be better, but They’re Right There Now, doing the sorts of things House Wren parents need to do in order to get going with set number 2. So, no pictures. No pictures yet, anyway.
Now, I won’t pretend that I didn’t secretly hope a bird couple would choose it so I could have an Up Close and Personal View of all things bird, but now that it’s happening this hope like a thing with feathers has taken flight. Bad Idea.
So, how to deal with these unintended consequences. Will I lock up the slider? Let the lettuce go to seed? Put up Quiet signs? Move the house and hope they’ll follow it?
Stay tuned.
Patty
6/27/11
Fast List of Other Yard Actions This Morning:
1.Male hummer lording it over his lady and treating her rotten, batting her around if she lights on the wrong flower. For heaven’s sakes, woman, ditch him.
2. Dusted Skipper seems to be interested in pollinating today. 
Maybe it’ll leave off the clover and come into the veggie beds?
3. An agitated blue jay is giving his imitation Red Tail Hawk call, but I don’t see the hawk. This jay is bobbing his head up and down, though. Must have a nest nearby?
4. It was about this time last year that I began to see Luna Moths on the back window screens at night. I hope I remember to check. Last summer I saved one from drowning in the pool. Skimmed it up and put it, skimmer and all in the sun. At first I thought it was All Over, but then, with a lovely, graceful arch and shimmy, it took off.
