Saturday, April 26, 2008

Birds in My BBQ





So... I like to think that I take good care of my parents' house. I mean, Jessica thinks I do yard work all the time and I'm somewhat anal about following the maintenance schedule so lovingly magneted to the fridge before my parents left in June 2006. But I guess I forgot one thing... covering the BBQ over the winter.

Actually, I didn't forget. I tried to put the cover on, but it kept blowing around and smacking the house so that I thought there were hooded/masked men on the back deck poised to attack and steal the $23 in my wallet (actually, the masked men on our back deck happened when I was like 10, but that's another story that I think my family thinks I dreamed but I swear was real. I digress...), so I took off the cover and figured that a hunk of metal could survive a winter without a thin layer of tarp to protect it.

In my spring cleaning efforts (this was not on the maintenance schedule but certainly was implied), I pulled the BBQ away from the side of the house, where I put it so it doesn't blow all over the deck and make the kids next door think my deck is possessed. I had noticed during the first few months of the year, mind you, that there were lots of twigs and that there were a few birds spending a lot of time on my deck. But, knowing nothing better, I figured that just LOOOOVED my deck. I mean, who wouldn't? It's a nice deck, has a great view, and the birds could even catch some fine TV programming through the window at the right angle. Upon closer inspection, I saw some twigs sticking out from under the lid of the BBQ. So I opened it.
Wow.
As you can see from the pictures, there was a male starling and his baby momma who had put together quite the nest inside my BBQ. How they got in and how they chose this spot, I defer to ornithologists (bird people, people) -- but they had a nest in there, with three little starling eggs. Truth be told, they actually look a lot like those hard candy Easter eggs you buy at the store. Go figure.
I called my lovely bride-to-be Jessica (who I ironically actually call "Lovely"), who wanted me to promise not to move the birds, disturb the nest or even talk in the general direction of the nest/BBQ for fear of scaring away the mom (also pictured, or is it the dad? No idea). I had no intentions of messing with their lives, so for the next several weeks if not longer I don't have a BBQ and I've added a few animal souls to my house (beyond Pixie).
This whole story reminds me of perhaps my greatest college achievement -- finding a loophole in the General Ed requirements to bypass Chemistry by taking an Appreciation of Nature class. This was a fascinating class that also happened to enjoy one of the finest male/female ratios in all of BYUdom -- as I recall, there were about 6 men and about 210 women in the class. One of the biggest projects in the class was to identify 100 bird species, and I dutifully carried my field guide around campus and took note of different sparrows, finches, etc. My progress on the project really took off when I headed to the SLC Zoo and identified exotic species like an osprey and a New Zealand kookaburra. At any rate, I aced the class and avoided Chemistry. Oh, the memories...
Anyway, welcome to the birds. I love that there are three of them, and my sister is having triplets in September. Good things come in threes... unless you ask Dwight Schrute.
By the way, I have decided the baby birds' names will be Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, since they were in the fire (OK, BBQ) and were not consumed. That was one of my favorite Bible stories growing up, along with Moses floating the Nile in a basket.

5 comments:

Tracy said...

I love the birds' names! I had a friend from college that said if she ever had triplets she would name them that. Thankfully, for her children's sake, she had three singlets. Good names for birds, but names that will get you beat up in school if you are a human.
Eight weeks until summer!
Tracy

Will and Sandy said...

That is great! I saw the pictures and had a huge laugh out loud that brought Will upstairs. Apparently he heard the news in person, but regretted to share. I found it hilarious.

Jessica Baker said...

Great photos! If things goes sour with your current job, you could always become a nature photographer representing the suburban landscape. I hear National Geographic is looking for someone.

Erickson Family said...

I love the story, I can't wait to share it with Sam. We will have to come over and watch from the inside of the house not to disturb the babies!

Dody Jane said...

What a fabulous story! I especially love the picture of the eggs! Last summer at my cottage in Wsiconsin we had a huge wind storm that blew three baby birds out a nest, we only found one and held a funeral and named her Rhianon (taken by the wind.)I love this little bird story. The bird's names are endearing. I found your blog through Felice Austin's page. I know I will enjoy it.