Saved from an Untimely Death
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote, “Florida, like a piece of embroidery, has two sides to it,- one side all tag-rag and thrums, without order or position; and the other side showing flowers and arabesques and brilliant coloring.”
Living in the back woods of Mandarin, Fl, there are a great many birds. The dirt and gravel road area where I live is heavily wooded and as a result, there is a good amount of wildlife nearby. Among the many birds are the small, beautiful thrushes called bluebirds. If you provide a home for them, especially one made of cedar, they will come and raise their family. They will return every year.
It begins sometimes the very day you put up the box. From what I see, the male and female fly around the box, sit on it’s top, fly away, return and do it all again. It’s as if they are casing the neighborhood. Then one will enter and check it out. The other stands watch and then they change places such that both have had a look-see. (Notice, you can see her inside in the pic below.)
Some months ago I bought a red light-looking bird house at a garage sale. It has 3 holes on the front and 3 holes on the back such that there could be 6 families in the complex. I put it out front so when I’m standing in the kitchen I can see the activity of the home. Since it was put on a post, different type birds come and go, sit and look, but I’ve yet to see a family move in until this month.
Having cats, most of the bird houses have a guard on the post to protect the birds from crawling visitors. One was not put one on this post as it seemed the holes were so far up, a predator’s paws would be out of reach. How wrong to think that!!! Gasp!
This morning, I was simply taking a walk out front and while talking to my grandson on the phone, I saw Callie, the calico kitty, climb to the top of the post as pretty as you please. As she got to the top two small blue birds flew out with Callie catching the last one with her paw, placing the bird in her mouth, jumping down with full speed began to run away. I screamed, “NOOOOO Callie”, and “I’ll call you back” to the grandson. Before I could say Scatt!, Callie was off and running with bird in her mouth as I frantically ran after her screaming, “Let it go!” “Let it go!” In a scandal of an event, she opened her jaws and the bird flew away and landed on the bottom limb of the nearby tree.
Immediately, I went to the garage and got a baffle and put it under the bird house. Those birds were just “saved from an untimely death” so I didn’t want that to happen again! They may not be so fortunate. Callie has not left the area, by the way!
I though have faith in the baffle. The birds are safe.
See you tomorrow,
