Ornithology

Time to catch up, as a few days have passed since my last post.
I had to open 2 days this week, and those of you who know me
understand exactly what I mean when I say uuugggggghhhhhh!
That morning shift really is for the birds.....oh, and speaking of
birds, a family of cardinals has moved into one of the trees of
our back yard. A little over a month ago my husband and I put
a bird feeder out back, and from our kitchen window we have
seen a myriad of birds visit - chickadees, thrushes, woodpeckers,
pigeons, these pretty grayish birds that I don't recognize, and the
cardinals. Naturally, much to our dismay, stealing, robbing
squirrels invaded as well; it took me 3 attempts to find the right
system to thwart their thieving efforts, but even so, they still make
valiant attempts! Anyway, my husband has determined that the
family of cardinals is here to stay; the male cardinal (the bright red
guy) often sits on one of the fences keeping his eye on things. He
doesn't mind other birds species coming around, but if another
male cardinal tries to invade his "territory", Mr. Red Man chases
him away. So our backyard resident either has put down roots and
doesn't want any squatters, or is very jealous and protective of the
brownish red Ms. Cardinal and these 2 smaller birds that appear
to be their offspring. Basically, our red feathered friend has become
the Tony Soprano of the backyard - the bird boss or capo!