Finches
Each year the nest more delicate, nonetheless they return,
my faithful little finches, watching it by turn
until the eggs all hatch and the nestlings start their squeal,
prompting parent after parent to fly off to find their meal.
In the rafter near the kitchen, they continue serenading,
keeping up their clatter as their folks go promenading,
in search of constant aphids and seeds that are their food,
creating angry nestlings, demanding in their mood.
Of all of nature’s visitors, these finches are the best,
although I’m glad my kitchen is not my place of rest.
Their insistent chirping is not the stuff of dreams.
Their continual conversation begins with the first beams
of morning sun, continuing all the long day through,
like living in an aviary at my private zoo.
Nature all around us reminds us of our place.
It humbles with its beauty and slows our human pace
to take notice of her cycles and her stubborn repetitions,
planning out each life form in particular renditions.
I cannot be but humbled as I cook up my creations,
listening to the chorus of my avian relations.
Prompt words today are return, nest, delicate and humiliate. Also, Granny’s Bird of the Day prompt.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
I love these little guys
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It’s my beloved House Finch! They live EVERYWHERE now. They were originally from the southwest (so the probably always were around you), but they were caged and then the govt. required them to be “returned to the wild,” so the pet stores just let them go. Everywhere. So you can find them from Canada to Panama. Apparently, they will happily nest anywhere.
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I love learning this way. Thanks for the finch education, Marilyn.
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House finches are our most common bird (other than the crows that live in the taller trees). The finches have pretty red heads, but I haven’t seen the yellow that yours show. I love it when the finches come back — they are a pretty harbinger of spring.
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Me, too, although my bad cats have certainly thinned their population, even though I’ve created a safe haven in the back yard. Always makes me sad.
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Hopefully before long the birds will learn that the cats can’t go to that safe haven ~ ~ ~
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I hope.
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