Some neighbors are friendly, dropping over to gossip, borrow a cup of sugar, or bring you cookies at Christmas (after borrowing that sugar). Others are less civil, cutting death glances at people, blasting their music too loudly while ignoring any complaints, or stealing your lawnmower and then trying to sell it back to you. And yes, those descriptions probably seemed oddly specific, because when I was a kid, we had neighbors who did all of the above. (I currently have neighbors who are working on some of the above behaviors.)
And then there are neighbors who move in without a lease agreement. Here are some of mine.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, since they are house sparrows after all. They made a nest on the wall somewhere between the joists of the balcony above mine. A while ago, I watched them land on the balcony with nest items—sticks and bits of fluff—as if needing to rest before the final push to the nest.
I didn’t put out a bird feeder, because the rental office stuck signs up everywhere, warning people to avoid feeding the birds and to clear away feeders. But I thought a bowl of water wouldn’t hurt, right?
It’s already had repeat visitors. So far, I haven’t been able to snap a photo, because they seem to visit the water bowl only when I am not carrying my phone.
Every morning, I hear their cheerful chirps regardless of the weather. One or two perch on the balcony rail several times a day as if stopping by to chat. In the evenings before they tuck themselves in for the night, they stop by. Many times during the week, they frolic on the balcony before flitting off.
Two days ago, one dropped a piece of fluff on the balcony. And today, one dropped what looked like an old tissue, while still another dropped tiny feathers on the balcony. I guess it’s time for the offspring to move out and build nests of their own (or take them from others as some online accounts state).
Well, time to segue over to the other purpose of this post: Charles, do me a favor and look on Amazon to see which Shashibo you want, because you’ll be getting one! (Click here if you are totally confused by that sentence.) Comment below to confirm and to let me know which one you would like.
Photos by L. Marie