“You’re Being Chirped!”

And ... on Saturday, I noticed that for the second day in a row, there was evidence of birds having perched on one of the center beams of the existing carport. The evidence was also on the new vehicle. I washed off the truck and backed it out from under the carport so I could also rinse the beam with the garden hose. Having done that, I realized I had to stuff some soft, pliable material into the narrow space above the beam so that the birds wouldn’t hang out there again. Climbing on my little ladder, I could almost reach high enough to place a piece of bubble wrap in the opening. But I found that I am not tall enough, plus I thought I might fall off the little ladder. I heard sounds coming from my neighbor’s back yard, though I couldn’t see through the hedges. Venturing a plaintive call, I said "Chris, are you over there?" "Yeah"... the welcomed response. I briefly told him what I was trying to do and he came right over to help. He easily was tall enough to reach the beam and insert the bubble wrap. But – whoa – "there are birds in there", he called out to me. They hadn't been fazed by the garden hose spray. What a place to locate baby birds...above vehicles and a hard gravel surface below. One by one, he removed the two babies (needing to temporarily unscrew one side of the beam to get the bird who was stuck in the crevice), whose nest was minimal and flimsy, and placed them in my hands.

Yes, I am hand-feeding two baby birds in my kitchen. That first night I almost didn’t expect them to be OK. As of today, though, they seem to be thriving. And very vocal! I think they are about 7 days old, one being a bit smaller and less developed than the other ... maybe a late-blooming egg. The smaller bird seems to be more "mindful" and was more eager to eat from moment one. The other one is feistier and more active.

Anyway, Chris installed bubble wrap in all the carport center beam openings, to avoid further problems. I’m hoping these two little birdies will make it. They and I are trying our best. And so, Jerry periodically calls out to me "you’re being chirped", when the birdettes signal for food.