Sparrows

[rain_gryphon]

So, a few years back, Mom had the heat exchanger for the new air conditioner installed right outside my bedroom window. It's a sensible place for it, although it kind of annoyed me at the time since I had to look at it, but I wasn't living here then, so I had little leverage in the decision, and actually wasn't even aware until later. What I've found since moving back, though, is that the heat exchanger housing has become a sort of staging area for the Sparrows. They use it as a halfway point in their perpetual movement between the safety of the bushes, and the exposed feeders and bath. At various points during the day, I can have five or ten Sparrows just outside my window, gathered on the exchanger. I can hear their cheeping, and the tap-tap-tap as they hop around on the sheet metal. Some of them, for whatever reason, are fascinated by the open area beneath the fan grille, and spend their time looking down into it, and even pecking at the grille. Then too, they may just like the metallic *ding* that pecking it makes, I suppose.

Comments

[moonhare]

Our guinea hens used to attack the wheel covers on my car. My dad set up a mirror once that they would go after.

[rain_gryphon]

The Sparrows may be able to see themselves reflected from the fan blades. I hadn't considered that. When I was very young we had a Parakeet who used to challenge himself in his mirror. He also had a bell that he liked to ring.

Some years back, there was a Goose couple trying to nest amidst the shrubberies outside the bank. As I was going through the ATM line, the male came over and gave the side of my car a huge peck. He was showing off for his hen, I'm pretty sure.