[mou] Painful parenting

[Thomas Maiello]

It was only the relative silence of this morning that I could reel in 
the cacophony of avian parenting and chick squawking that last week 
filled the shrubs, trees and any open area in our garden - especially if 
I was watering with a sprinkler.  The young birds are about the same 
size as the adults for every species but with a much shorter yet crass 
vocabulary - "Feed Me" in as few yet loud and penetrating sounds as 
possible.

My Brown Thrashers are the proud parents of twins who make relatively 
little noise when wanting to be fed other than maybe an attention 
getting "craa".  The twins are true thrashers as the parenting grackles 
try to bully them away and the little tikes attack forcefully and stand 
their ground.  They don't just jester an attack, they jab full on to 
vital parts of the encroaching grackle's body.  The parent thrashers are 
too busy focusing on finding food to even give the grackles notice.  The 
twins and one parent perform their feeding rituals right outside my 
office window beneath the grape arbor - the young side by side, mouths 
agape and an air of appreciation with every tidbit delivered.  The 
parenting is a tedious task as the thrasher will pillage a small beak of 
suet or peanut piece and offer it to the young, again and again.  I'm 
exhausted just watching.

The Common Grackles parent singularly and seemed to think they owned the 
yard for about a week.  Any intruder any where close to a youngster and 
an entire flock of grackles amassed in the shrubs and overhead trees 
"cheek"ing out their alarm calls and crowding in intimidation.  Several 
times the noise was so deafening when our 16 year old, arthritic cat 
lolled in the sun in "their" space - I had to turn the hose on them to 
talk on the phone - even with the windows closed.  Before parenting, 
they would allow me to shower them in the trees as a part of their 
feather maintenance but now they flee it as the aggression it is - if 
only to another tree branch.  As of late, they will also patronize my 
waving arms and shrieks to shut up when they start up on me, by all 
flying to the dead top of a tree and vocalize as a distant chorus of 
clacks and cheeks.

The House Wren has tried several times and with several females to 
propagate but to no apparent avail.  They are still trying as I see them 
periodically gathering nesting materials again.  Same for the Cat Birds 
apparently. 

The Starlings are still the most put upon parents.  Their young issue an 
irritating "craat" at a volume I am sure OSHA would find in painful 
violation of noise ordinances.  And the young don't stop.  They appear 
to heckle the much more slender and harried adult.  The other day I 
watched as a young chick sat on a limb in a lilac bush and bellowed 
incessantly as the adult searched continuously for food tidbits - 
including wads of suet (not a very large mouthful of suet per carry 
unfortunately I am afraid).  The adult would carry the tiny food prize 
up to a limb just across from the child - the only perch available 
without landing on the same branch as the demanding offspring.  But the 
distance was just a little to far to be able to reach unless they both 
coordinated leaning unbalanced and forward at the same moment.  It was 
painful to watch the adult struggle again and again in the face of that 
bellowing to hit the target while almost falling and flapping its wings 
- bringing only louder bellows from the demanding chick.  My, what a 
unappreciative look that exercise had.

I have never had children although I love being and playing and working 
with them.  After watching the effort it takes to parent through the 
actions of these birds and the human mothers of children who have graced 
my life, all I can way is - Hi-Diddle-e-dee, a bachelor's life for me.  
I guess my parenting years might be behind me.  I think I did miss out.

There are more stories about the Jays, the Robins, the Cardinals, the 
finches, and the myriad other flyers who grace my space.  I am still 
rewarded with an occasional flycatcher who continues to refuse to sing.  
But don't get me started on the 32 squirrels and ground squirrels I have 
transplanted across the river or those that I knew I missed but backed 
off for a bit.   Now their babies are almost adult and do what they do 
to try to empty my feeders and chase the birds.  The rabbits who I have 
not yet managed to live trap are also proud parents and their babies 
were so cute until they mowed down an entire open area I had covered 
with sprouting sunflowers.  Now the adult is cropping my most delicate 
and unique hostas.  It actually is only a game after all - isn't it.

I hope your backyard birding is a pleasurable as mine.  This truly is 
heaven.

Thomas Maiello
Spring Lake Park