My little family

I decided it was time to write about my birds again. This picture doesn’t show many birds, but I wanted to take it to show the bird on the floor. He had been pecking at a seed that was apparently too big for him, and he just kept pecking and pecking! I couldn’t believe he would keep on as long as he did.

I have many different kinds of birds coming now and quite a few of them. There are some sparrows – different kinds – and finches. The sparrows usually chase the finches out of the feeder and they land on the floor. There they eat the seed that’s scattered there by the sparrows who kick it out as they eat. Sparrows are extremely messy. I also have a bluejay that appears periodically. I always go screaming to the door and scare him away. He’s really stupid as he makes a loud screech every time he comes which notifies me of his presence. Sometimes I’ll have 6 or 7 birds eating out of the feeder at the same time until someone kicks one out. When they can’t get in the feeder, they run around on the floor and spend a lot of time behind Frances, the flamingo. I always wonder what they’re doing back there. They probably wonder what I’m doing in here.

Charley, the squirrel, still comes every day. I watch him creeping across the deck floor, step by step as he looks for me inside. I move slowly to the door, and when the screen actually opens, he runs out and usually waits by my deck door out to the street. Then I try my new tactic. I throw an empty plastic, gallon milk jug at the door which makes a loud bang! He runs but always comes back for more. I tried putting a plastic cover on the feeder but he knocked it off! While the cover was on, a bird came to eat and he flew wildly around my deck because he couldn’t get down to the feeder. He finally stopped and hopped up to my screen door and looked in at me! I felt terrible and went right out and took the cover off and never tried it again.

My deck is a mess and will always be that way. The birds poop all over it and throw the bird seed around on it. Charley poops on my ledge in a certain place – at least I think that’s who’s doing it. It’s always in the same place. He acts as if that part of my ledge is his own personal toilet. I really don’t like Charley that much.