Evidently it is time for us to have the vent that leads from the stove exhaust fan to the outside of our home replaced, because a clever male sparrow figured out how to lift the metal flap and went ahead and built a nest in the opening for his family.
We aren’t annoyed by the home invasion though because watching the whole cycle was interesting, not to mention impressive.
It has been pretty chirpy around these parts though! You should’ve heard the cacaphony of excitement every time one of the parents came near with some food for the three babies, who were safely tucked up inside.
Those first pictures were of the mother sparrow feeding her babies, but the father got in on it too. Here are a couple of shots of him …
The chicks stayed in the nest for about a week, followed by a period of a few days when we spotted their little fluffy selves out amoungst the tree branches.
Here are the baby sparrows at about ten days old …
It doesn’t take long for sparrows to take on the appearance of adult birds though, and soon we couldn’t tell which was which. Well, except for the father, because, even as I type this now, he is out there chirping up a storm announcing to all who will listen, that he has found an excellent spot to build a nest! I’m not sure how many broods sparrows have per season but we might have some more stovepipe interlopers unless we get cracking on that minor home repair!
While on the subject of birds, I love watching the trees closely in the springtime and the fall, as Toronto sees quite the variety of migratory birds coming through during those times.
Here’s a small and adorable bird that I was lucky to spot, because he or she was only there for about five minutes or so before continuing on its journey north. I’m not completely certain, but my research has led me to believe that it’s some kind of Pewee Flycatcher.
There have been other beings that fly hanging out in our garden too this spring. Here is a Swallowtail butterfly, that I found resting in the sunshine. Again, I had to be quick with the camera because it flitted away in short order.
The bumblebees absolutely loved the lilac flowers that bloomed in profusion just outside our window. It was mesmerizing to watch their fuzzy teddy-bear bodies hovering around, gathering the nectar.
So, these were a few sightings in the garden this spring. Summer began a mere 11 hours ago — I look forward to what it will bring, both in good times and in natural wonders.
Thanks for taking a look,
xo loulou
