#345...the speckled intruder.

Okay children gather round - today I have a rather sordid tale to tell.  Today's tale centers around a slovenly, nest stealing cowbird and a family of fastidious fine finches.

So, again this year, the house finches decided to call one of my hanging baskets on our front porch, home.  Each year, for some reason, they pick the same location to build a nest, hang on for dear life, and raise a little finch family. 

I first noticed their little antics from inside my living room, when no sooner had I hung the seasonal hanging baskets out on the front porch - the finches started to fly around the baskets searching for the perfect piece of real estate. 

Once the ideal location was settled upon, (which should not have been a big deal - because they pick the same basket every year)... they called the construction crew - who set about bringing blades of grass, strands of hair, some soft downy moss clippings, a few fine twigs, some small flowers, and even one small piece of cellophane tape (?) They worked fast and furious - and before long, a new, and almost completed finch nest was snuggled within the flowers...

But wait - what's this?  Sometime during their lunchbreak - a slovenly brown headed black bird - commonly known as a "cowbird", plopped her fat bottom down and laid a small speckled egg in the finches nest and then flew off.

Apparently cowbirds are too lazy to build their own nest, too lazy to incubate their own babies, too lazy to feed them, protect them, and then teach them how to fly.

Yes, kind folks, you heard right - they are perfectly content to let the finches, or any other small feathered species do all the work for them.  In the meantime, they go off and feed their fat little cowbird faces and sit back in their little lazy bird recliners and watch while all of the neighborhood finches raise their babies...

(and yes,  I will decline to comment on any similarities between husbands, neighbors, co-workers and/or teenagers....)

 Well anyway, the frazzled momma finch flies back to the nest with a little blade of grass in her mouth, and is surprised to find that the stork got there  before her. She cocks her little finch head and stares at the little lone speckled egg sitting there in her nest. After a moments hesitation - she hops right on it and start incubating it immediately - because, well - it is an egg....and it... is.. in her nest...she just doesn't have a finchy clue how the hell it got there.

Now for the sordid part - now remember, in the egg hatching world -  timing is everything.  In their world, as in ours - it truly is "survival of the fittest."  So once the little speckled intruder hatches - it's job then is to kick all of the other cute little finchies right out of the nest - to guarantee it's own survival.  How do I know this you might ask - well, it's simple - I looked it up.  The worst part is that this kind of little cowbird nest robbing antics is seriously threatening the finchy (and other small feathered species) population numbers.

Ah, what to do...what to do....Do I dare mess with Mother Nature?  Should I intervene and remove the little speckled intruder or should I leave things be?  Well, after thinking it over, I decided to let the little finches work it out - and thank heaven - worked it out she did... 

For fear not, my little finch supporters - after a week or so - momma finch punted that little speckled intruder right out of the nest - to sit off - all alone - on the sidelines.  Either she sensed the egg was unhealthy - or she caught onto the ruse...

I am happy to report that all five of the finchy babies are now hatched and doing well - hairy and ugly and growing quickly - and momma, and the papa..and some various aunts and uncles all tolerate my presence every morning when I go to check on them...

Looks like momma cowbird however, is now the clueless one.

Stay tuned folks...