Parenthood

I have a house sparrow couple residing in my backyard birdhouse right now as we speak. They have already constructed the nest. The female stays in the house a lot. I cannot see any eggs, but that doesn’t mean that they are not there, they may be deeper than the hole of the house allows me to see.

What holds my attention is the male house sparrow.
He guards his family day and night. He constantly keeps watch, whether sitting on the fence or sitting on top of the birdhouse. All day and all night, rain or shine.

I acknowledge his efforts. They do not go unnoticed.

Here you can see he keeps guard. If you cross his territory and his family is in danger…you will be chased. It is this spot he defends with all his little might.
Not only does he take the role of guard, but he also brings food to the female in the house…what a man!

It made me think…

I wanted to thank him. I wrote him a note and stapled it to the fence…”You’re a good dad, Mr. Sparrow”, just in case his wife doesn’t tell him enough.

I just wanted him to be appreciated for all of his hard work. I felt happy letting him know, but after I stapled the note to the fence and returned inside my house, I started to panic….what if he doesn’t return to his birdhouse because he sees this big ugly white rectangle next to his home and gets scared?!? Why didn’t I think of this before?
I sat in my house with binoculars biting my nails. The female and male sparrow sat on the fence not entering the birdhouse, but diligently studying the note and the house for a long period of time, my heart pounded stronger…

I stopped to think to myself…”Oh this is soooo typical of my actions, I do something quick and impulsive which I think is of good intentions and it turns out negative.”

After a long time, the female entered the house and the male sat on top, right next to my note. I sighed and smiled with a big cheek-to-cheek grin!
Thank goodness!

A good father is one that sticks by his family in all kinds of weather, when it is nice and sunny and even when it is dull and gloomy. He never leaves. He doesn’t leave prematurely when he thinks the chicks are old enough…he finishes the job. That’s so important for good development.

Likewise, the mother tends to her young constantly and never bails out (thank you Mom 🙂 ).

Important events are taking place in my backyard and backyards all around the world!

You may recognize this birdhouse from a watercolor painting called, “Welcome Spring”.  It was my inspiration last year when I watched the female prepare the nest.