As I gaze about the castle grounds I often find my eyes wandering over to the bird garden. Mind you, 'garden' is a bit much for what it really is, an amalgamation of weeds that we have let grow in an unruly manner, or as I like to think of it, permaculture. This year, we have a gargantuan pokeberry bush that is the size of a small tree, a few weeds I am unfamiliar with, and sunflowers.
Perched amidst the vegetation are a variety of birds that come and go throughout the day. Eating and pooping, pooping and eating, then pooping some more. I assume they also keep the bug population down, but I cannot prove that since I am swarmed by all manner of nasty insects the minute I open the castle door. Imagine if the birds weren't eating them!
This little one is an American Goldfinch, perched expertly atop a volunteer sunflower in my bird garden. I caught him with his mouth full, but that's okay, he isn't talking.
Volunteer? Yes! This was not planted by me, rather it is the result of estate planning by my feathered friends. They eat most of the seeds from the feeder but let some drop to the ground as an investment in their future. It is a beautiful thing because once the sunflowers, poke berries and amaranth sprout up, I don't have to buy so much bird seed. Yay for teamwork! And I also appreciate the aesthetics. I should let them landscape the castle grounds in their entirety!
Like any fine dining establishment worth its salt, word of mouth has spread amongst our clientele and now we have expanded to include two additional bird feeders, and two hummingbird feeders. We have a regular flow of grosbeaks, cardinals, thrashers, woodpeckers, blue birds, hummingbirds, robins, doves and various and sundry avian who drop by for a snack.
But back to this beautiful golden boy. He knows that if he doesn't sing for his supper, he at least has to pose, and unlike most of his friends, he is not intimidated by my peering at him through the window. In fact, the goldfinches seem to be a fairly brave lot who will let you get without a few feet of them before flying away.
Please do not try this at home, it is an advanced move.
Success! A delicious sunflower seed. Did you know that I also adore sunflower seeds? We have that in common, little goldfinch and I. But I have opposable thumbs, how will little goldfinch remove the shell without dropping the seed? Que horror!
Scrap it.
Return to downward facing bird and remember to breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose...
Work for it... really get that beak in there...
Aha! Mystery of the universe no more! Despite a lack of opposable thumbs, little goldfinch uses ingenuity and sheer iron will to manipulate the seed out of its shell. Little goldfinch and the Queen have something else in common!
And after much hard work and impressive agility, little goldfinch is now able to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Hey little bird... I like sunflower seeds, we could work out a deal - you pick and shuck the seeds and I daintily pop them into my mouth... Wait! Where are you flying off to in such a hurry? I'm currently looking for serfs!
Well you can't win them all...
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