by Pa Rock
Nature Lover
(for my old friend, Ranger Bob)
I live in a idyllic setting with lots of trees and wildlife, and especially lots of birds. Each morning I sit and type in front of the living room window where at least once a week or so my labors are interrupted by some misguided bird flying directly into the window. It startles me and sets Rosie to running from room-to-room barking - and the loopy bird flies off to recoup his pride.
But the past couple of weeks my residence has been plagued by a little bird who is constantly banging against windows, seemingly trying to gain entry to the house. My son was the first to notice this determined stranger, and he swears it is a young cardinal. Soon I began hearing the incessant thumping against various windows as well. So far I have only seen the actual bird a couple of times - flying away - and all I can swear to is that he, or she, is relatively small by yardbird standards, and has reddish brown tail feathers.
Two days ago I had an electrician at the house. He parked in the drive and spent an hour or so repairing a yard light. He mentioned as he was wrapping up that a determined little cardinal had been trying to get into his van. After completing his business, the man climbed into his work van and started backing out of the drive. As I watched him depart, the electrician suddenly stopped the van and got out and opened the back door - where the little bird exited and flew up high into the pines.
This morning, at six a.m., the pesky feathered varmint was back - this time banging on my bedroom window. A few minutes later I was outside watering and walked around the corner where he had been trying to gain entry, and he immediately flew up into a large maple tree. I still haven't gotten a good look at him - or her.
I'm beginning to suspect that this is a reincarnation thing, and the poor creature is trying to come home - or reconnect with a loved one. Or maybe it's just a lost angel trying to get out of this insufferable heat.
But Pa Rock is a hard ass. He hears the little bird knocking, but he can't come in!
1 comment:
I enjoyed the story. Here's the naturalist's explanation:
It's not likely to be a juvenile even though the coloration is similar to a female. A first year juvenile probably won't have the hormones to pull this activity off. It's a female. She’s probably trying to drive that bird in the window/mirror out of her territory. In many species, the males engage more actively in this game of life, but female cardinals won’t shy away. I suspect that she ended up in the electrician’s van as an accident on her part. She was probably fighting the rear-view mirror bird about the time the electrician returned and she could have flown through the open window to avoid him, only to be trapped in the van.
It sounds to me like a classic case of agonistic behavior. That’s a term used by ethologists, scientists who study animal behavior, to describe intraspecies fighting. It’s a broader term than aggression because beyond physical fighting, it involves threats, calls, displays, dominating behaviors, and even submission. It’s used to establish territories for feeding, nesting, breeding, and social requirements like the pecking order. It takes on many forms but for a cardinal, it's a full frontal flogging and pecking of the intruder.
Cardinals aren’t cavity nesters like house sparrows, blue birds, and wrens. They are tree nesters so there aren’t many reasons for a cardinal to attempt to get into a structure. One of the many reasons house sparrows and European starlings are despised by farmers is that they don’t hesitate to make a nest in any hole they can find in a barn, making a mess and feeding on any grain they can steal. Cardinals don’t do that.
It’s fun to think about the reincarnation of someone who used to live in your house. I eagerly l look forward to reading your story of ghostly happenings in your farm house as the cardinal converts back to its former self and haunts you. I love a good ghost story.
Ranger Bob
Post a Comment