EVERYONE LOVES A BIRD HOUSE.

I don’t know why, but everyone seems to love a bird house. They can be varied and interesting to be sure. In fact in my neck of the woods, Larry Bird had a real estate office in the shape of  giant bird house. I wish I had taken a picture of it at the time. It was torn down to make way for a highway widening several years ago.

Here at Cherokee Landing, birds are very lucky. They have many choices, like this square hole for a bigger bird. I saw a small bird with babies in one like this, only smaller with a round hole.

Since this is a campground, a bird house painted to look like a log cabin fits the scene. A medium sized hole allows just about any bird.

Along with the camping theme,  a travel trailer fits right in.

This one is a “false front’ for a knothole in the back providing  shelter for a small bird.

Not all birdhouses were meant to be occupied. They are more often used as yard or patio decorations. I run into them in gift shops all the time. They are fun and interesting. I own a couple myself and enjoy them.

And, I enjoy photographing them.

It’s a stay-in rainy day at Cherokee Landing, and I have a renewed interest in bird houses since my carpenter son has begun building them for friends from his scrap pile. He’s sold a few as well. Kind of a fun hobby. A rest day after a day of chores yesterday, laundry and maintenance fix-ups on the Bronco and Motorhome.

Always do your best,
Never let it rest,
Until the best is better,
And the better best.
Some ditty that came floating into my mind from the past. Better get back to my book.

INTELLIGENT BIRD

My cousin Emmy is a bird person. She has a talking, whistling bird that travels with her wherever she goes. Its quite a responsibility. The cage, that the bird can open and walk out of whenever he wants to, stands three feet tall and about two feet deep. He doesn't fly.
Even in the house, birds are difficult to photograph. He won't hold still long enough for a decent picture. Above, he is walking around Emmy's face. I never did ask what kind of bird he is, but he has a beak like a parakeet.

This bird instantly learned to mock the sounds of the house. When Marge's phone chirped, the bird immediately learned to immitate the sound. Much of one day, Marge continually answered her phone only to find it was the bird causing it to "ring".

He uses six  different, distinct whistles to communicate. Not that we know what he wants, but Emmy does if she is in the room. He seems to enjoy listening to his own voice.

Their intelligence is pretty amazing.

I love taking pictures of bird houses around the country. Many are clever, but I'm always glad there isn't a bird in them. Emmy's bird, of course, is an exotic creature and wouldn't be caught inhabiting any such house as these.

I'm fighting a cold and still hanging close to the motor home, reading a book. Tonight, we go to a spectacular Las Vegas show.

BIRDS CAN BE FRIENDS

My friend, Pat Whitfield, is a bird lover. She is dedicated to her "friends" and has a whole room full of them. They are free to fly around the house during part of the day, (those that like to). Cockatoo George, is on her shoulder and a dove sits on her hand.

These lovebirds nestle in shredded paper, protecting their egg. You can barely detect the egg because it is small and white against the white paper. Pat is no longer breeding birds to sell. She just enjoys her friends.

She only has two large cages, now. They are friendly and cheerful and provide much joy to her life. It takes a lot of dedication to nourish and feed and care for these birds.

Along with the birds, Pat collects bird houses. There are so many I couldn't begin to count them. The one above is so appealing to her birds, they continually peck at the wood and widen the hole. Others they leave alone.

When she walks down the street, George sits on her shoulder and doesn't make any attempt to escape. He obviously loves her. It seems as though everyone likes birds, but the birds have an affinity for Pat. When we visited Moaning Cave last September, the parrot in the cage fell in love with Pat and spoke to her, words the owners didn't know the bird could speak. It allowed her to pet it and didn't want her to leave. This huge parrot could have snapped her finger in two.
 A wild dove in  my yard allowed her to approach it so closely, she could almost touch it. They sense the bird lover and act differently around her than around others. 

 Bird houses and feeders around her yard become nesting boxes, like this feeder above.

And this one. Both are quite low to the ground. They seem to trust that nothing will happen to them. Did I mention there is a cat in this house as well?

 This bird house was my favorite, but so far, the birds don't choose it. They know what's best and Pat is on their approval list.