About six weeks ago a female Carpodacus Mexicanus (House Finch) decided to make the star shaped tealight holder on my porch her home. She made a lovely nest and immediately laid five eggs. This is one smart mama bird. She didn’t do like all of the other finches and make a nest in a vent or on a ledge – she is way too classy. She went all out with the star shaped, all glass, penthouse.
Once I discovered this little treasure I started working on my birdumentary – a video and photo collection showing the little birdies progress. It is just a matter of time before I get a call from BBC Planet Earth for the footage.
I’ve been enamored by this activity on my porch. In fact, birdwatching has caused me to be late to more than one function. I just can’t stop filming them. MiniMe thinks I’ve taken more footage of the birds than I did of her. She may be on to something.
The babies were born some time around the last week of May and they were so cute! I decided to give them proper names: Winger, Beak, Bill, Chirpa, Webster and Pepe. Later I found out there were only five, so I decided to drop Webster from the list.
As the weeks have passed the birds have gotten very noisy and I had concerns about having to evict them – they are rather gregarious! I noticed another little bird hanging around the penthouse and my initial thought was, “What a tramp. She just had these birds, is rarely home, and now she’s got a new beau?!?” Turns out, he’s the babies daddy and he loves bringing them food – the red chest and his frequent regurgitating gave it away.
Last Saturday, BeCuz stopped by and we started watching the birds. We noticed one of them, Beak I think, got stuck, ass backwards, in one of the star’s pointers. BeCuz and I spent a lot of time (approximately 51 seconds according to the footage) saving Beak from this near death experience. Within seconds he was back in the pointer. Thus, he got renamed: DAB, Dumb Ass Bird.
I came home today and it appears DAB and Pepe are the last two to leave the nest. DAB was in the pointer, as usual. Winger, Bill and Chirpa have long gone. I’m not sure where they are headed and I can pretty much guarantee they will not be getting the deposit back – they left the nest a complete mess, shit everywhere.
Maybe Pepe and DAB will make it their new love nest? Will they bring in new birds by luring them in? Or will they finally take wing? Sounds like a soap opera to be sure. Call the BBC and maybe they can get a proper gig on Eastenders or Neighbors.
It appears even DAB has figured out how to back his ass out of a corner and fly the coop. Thank God. Incest, even in a nest, is not best.
My research tells me finches will nest in another’s sweet nest. But nesting doesn’t occur again until next May. Now, I’ve just got a tealight holder that is not usable.