I am pleased to report that my front porch is now at 100% occupancy. There are nests in both dead ferns, a nest in the live fern, a nest in the geraniums, a nest in the corner above the column, a nest in the petunias (which have only been there two weeks), and a nest in the actual bird house.
I’m going to need to hang more plants while we wait for the oak and maple tree to mature enough to be nestworthy.
Ken
Congratulations! Do you know what kind of birds they are?
(I’m assuming they’re birds, no one is that happy about hornets.)
kindness
When you describe the occupancy rate like that John it makes me wonder if there are any trees in your neck of the woods so to speak. I think the birds just know you’ll protect them.
Baud
Just wait until they start a tenant’s union.
david
You’re gonna need a bigger porch.
jl
Congrats to Cole. Word is getting out in the bird world that the Cole place is a cool hangout.
Any planes to open up the back porch? IIRC, it has been the source of several well publicized Coletrastrophes. Maybe time to make it pay for itself?
Look forward to the pix and videos, but only if Cole has the self discipline to not bother the poor birds every minute of the day.
WaterGirl
John, I think you should be grateful that you’re on the 5-star list for birds and not stray pets because otherwise you might have to hang out a shingle as an animal shelter.
joel hanes
@Ken:
The pictures Cole has shown us over the years have been of House Finches, and I think they’re willing to nest fairly close together like this, and in these kinds of sites.
They’re vocal, and I think they have pleasing voices; a place with seven nests is going to positively ring at sunrise and sunset.
Not saying they’re all house finches
Tokyokie
And what does Steve have to say about all this?
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
We’re gonna need a bigger boat.
satby
@Tokyokie: Steve thinks his hooman is very thoughtful for arranging to have all these exciting playthings and snacks delivered practically right to the front door.
Ken
@satby: But so high off the ground. The hooman should put up a ladder.
Steeplejack
@david:
The willow tree will be there pretty soon.
Barbara
It’s just a gorgeous day here. I hope everyone on or around the Gulf Coast stays safe.
laura
With no more room on the porch I’m a giant step forward on my dream post of Cole’s birb beard…..
mrmoshpotato
@laura: Yup. Are you the bookie on that? What’s the over/under on Cole’s Bird Beard?
Can bets be placed on species too?
pluky
@Ken: I am! They serve an important role in pest control. Bascially, don’t bother them and they won’t bother you.
Patricia Kayden
Dumb argument.
laura
@mrmoshpotato: Someone needs to organize a wager – alas, I am incapable. It’s going to happen – maybe not this year, but it is going to happen. The baby birb shit down his overalls is going to be a post for the ages.
Martin
@Patricia Kayden: Generally, it’s not hard to get rid of a bad teacher. In my area, the bigger problem is finding a teacher to replace them. Police earn 2x teachers, and at least can afford to live here. Most teachers can’t, unless they hit the SoCal real-estate lottery by buying at just the right time.
Martin raises hand as a lottery winner.
Sloane Ranger
John, just wait until they start complaining to you, as the landlord, about the problems with their accommodation and demanding you fix it now!
Barbara
@Patricia Kayden: People shouldn’t have to barter to be safe and free from police brutality.
Barbara
@Martin: Many of the teachers in my school district began their careers in the District of Columbia, which still struggles to increase student levels of achievement (though it has made a lot of strides). Those teachers didn’t magically become good when they crossed the Potomac. The issue of teacher quality and student achievement is a lot more nuanced than not shooting people before you give them a warning or just not being allowed to use chokeholds.
Martin
Deck chairs currently being shuffled at the SSDD NYT. Those responsible for Cotton’s op-ed appear to be out. New flunkies on their way in.
Yutsano
Fixed for blog tradition.
pamelabrown53
@Martin:
Obviously an attempt to hold on to the “the Paper of Record” moniker while as you aptly underscored: just rearranging the deck chairs.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
I was listening to a guest sermon from the Washington National Cathedral that my wife was playing in another room. She’s been attending online National Cathedral services.
It was obvious to me that it was a recent sermon, reacting to the recent events and talking about how we had an opportunity to make big changes in these difficult times. I was wondering who this guy was so I came into the other room to check it out.
It’s Martin Luther King, Jr’s last speech.
cain
@Martin:
Indeed.. it seems Bennet is out. Some of his picks are probably going to get the axe as well.
They must have seen a lot of people cancel their subscriptions – enough to realize that nobody is fucking around anymore.
Martin
@Barbara: Yeah, when we have misconduct, the teachers seem to go very quickly. But being good at anything takes time, which should be afforded so long as people aren’t being harmed.
On the George Floyd situation, I’m a bit uncertain about the charges against the cops that were just on the job for 4 days. Not saying they shouldn’t be charged, but there’s got to be some beneficial result in there for officers that were following directions that shouldn’t have been.
This might be an Adam question. If military officers are supposed to refuse illegal orders, but don’t, or issue their own illegal orders to enlisted troops, how are we supposed to treat the enlisted troops when they commit an illegal act under orders? I’m not sure there can be no punishment, but surely their punishment should be considerably less than that of the officer.
I was just reminded of a PBS series in the 80s called ‘Ethics in America’ that I remember watching and thought was really excellent. I should dig that up and rewatch it ad see if it really was good, or was only good in the eyes of college-age-me. I remember they had an episode on ethics in combat, and one on journalism (or maybe the same one – journalism in a combat zone?) Seems like a good time to give them a look.
Martin
@cain: Having throngs of protesters outside your windows, even if their ire isn’t yet fully directed at you will give one pause as well. I don’t think anyone really questions that torches and pitchforks are a bit more motivating than a strongly worded op-ed.
Sandia Blanca
John, if you stop being your own barber, you could accommodate a few more:
” a nest for birds
There ain’t no words for the beauty, the splendor, the wonder of my
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair”
Fleeting Expletive
I missed the last thread so I’ll put this here. Back in February I was waiting in a hospital corridor to be called in for a mammogram. It was all very quiet when two Tulsa policemen clomped by me. The bigger one confided to the other “If you’re bucking for a promotion, you gotta demonstrate Emotional Intelligence.” I made a note of it. We have a young mayor and a black police chief who have been giving daily press availabilities all through the pandemic response as well as the continuous protests. In hindsight, I think the city government had been doing work in reconcilliation for a long time. Still, there is way too much opposition from law enforcement bodies to community oversight initiatives. A long way to go.
dmsilev
@Martin: I have a sneaking suspicion that ‘those responsible’ actually have the surname Sulzberger and this is more scapegoating than anything else.
Just One More Canuck
Great – now I have this image of Cole as Sleeping Beauty singing with the birds
CaseyL
When you have that many residents, they’re gonna start wanting a commercial district.
Bird feeders, lots of them.
Baths, water refreshed regularly.
Places to get nest-repair materials.
Community protection against crows, hawks, and (sorry, Steve!) cats.
I look forward to hearing about some very noisy town halls on Cole’s Porch.
LivingInExile
I planted two hills of birdhouse gourds this spring. Anyone know how well they actually work as bird houses?
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
otmar
Cole, you remind me of this book.
Geminid
@LivingInExile: I’ve seen them hung in bunches for purple martins, not sure if they worked.
Ken
That’s one of the powers and benefits of mandatory reporting. Many professions require it. Heck, even my own work has a code of business conduct, part of which requires reporting any unethical behavior.
mmolleur
@Barbara: Nothing like a 90 degree pouring rainy day for appreciating Florida.
Doug R
@Martin: I can’t even afford a ticket.
FlyingToaster (Tablet)
Our previous population of 5 pairs of nesting sparrows has climbed to 7! In addition to the existing sites in the 3 Golden Girl hollies, the Golden Boy holly and the tall juniper, there are also nests in the crabapple and the Kousa dogwood.
Congrats, John! Now you get to keep an eye out for red tailed hawks and owls…
Darby'sMom
@LivingInExile: Sorry – Late to the thread, but we’ve had Bewick’s Wrens nest in our gourds for 2 of the last 6 years we’ve had them up. Make sure you clean and seal them well.
Gravenstone
@Just One More Canuck: More like Princess Fiona causing the bluebird of happiness to pop like an overfilled balloon with her singing.
https://youtu.be/sahPC4l1Y3c
debbie
@Patricia Kayden:
Those two unions aren’t at all comparable. ?
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Nixon and his Republican Party have done their work very well.
Michael Cain
The nesting spots aren’t full, but this year we have a pair of Say’s phoebes. Never had those before.