I like birds but I don't know much about them. I am a fan of strong colors so cardinals rate with me. Also, Baltimore orioles and, in Costa Rica, macaws.
You see a group of these babies flying together, you won't forget it.
In a sense, the darling of our local birds is the bluebird. We have had a birdhouse up for several years, built for bluebirds but not inhabited by bluebirds until now:
We are pleased that we have a pair that looks much like these. But we have found that both the male and the female are very protective of their house and the area around it. This protective and competitive behavior includes the mysterious, unfathomable other bluebirds that are spotted by our visitors every durned time they fly past our windows.
We have tried to explain to these birds that what they spot, resent and attack are IMAGES, IMAGES (!!) of THEMSELVES!! As such, no matter how many times they are attacked, these images will match every threatening action, every peck at the face with an equal and opposite action of their own. We have told Mr. and Mrs. both that the best thing they can do is Ignore them. But you know how it is: a bag of potato chips is hard to ignore because of our wiring. Just like that, an image of a competitor, right where you are, flying just like you are flying, is intolerable and must be answered.
Both of the pair have flown at these illusive enemies many, many times. The work is exhausting but the other team simply will not give up. Both Mr. and Mrs. have learned that the enemy is actually in the windows that do not have screens and those windows are just about the windows that the competitors don't bother with. So, when you are flying at others, and you are really tired, land right on the screen to rest. Poke your head up across the sash and peek into the upper window where you saw that intruder. There he is again! Get 'em!
