My Thoughts

With every approaching football season, Insider proclaims this will be the year he watches a lot of football game. The only problem is the old guy just can’t it through an entire game. He likes football, but it’s difficult for him to endure through the three-hour-plus event. Insider tries every week, and last week’s Colts (oops, Ravens) game was another attempt. He made it through the first quarter, but got distracted by a gaggle of geese destroying his precious backyard when he went to address a call of nature. He didn’t come back to see the game until the fourth quarter, which was when all the action took place. The only problem was it was not the Ravens doing all the action. It was some team that used to be in St. Louis and now calls Arizona home.

Insider has given up on trying to keep those ugly black birds, squirrels and pigeons away from the bird feeders. It was not too long ago that Insider had all his bird feeders elevated either on trees or on their own handmade pedestals. But over the years Insider has gotten lazy and now he just places them strategically around his brick patio and near the birdbaths. The patio has become a bit of a bird sanctuary and it keeps Insider entertained for days on end. The only problem is it’s being invaded regularly, and Insider does not have energy to fight the invasion and is waving the white flag.

The black birds are most common and the pigs of the lot. It’s not just okay with them to eat their share and move on. They have to intimidate while they eat, pecking at anything with a feet of it. They are the king of playground unless there’s a Blue Jay around. It’s usually the Sparrows they are targeting. The ugly pigeons are not as aggressive, but they make up for the lack of might with their filth. The pigeons need to be kept away because the next thing the old guy knows they will be perched atop the house leaving droppings everywhere. Insider saw the other week that’s happening to the old pier building in Ocean City. The pigeons have taken over.

Although the goofy squirrels are easily frightened away by birds, they, too, can make a mess of bird feeders. However, they usually do their damage under some sort of cover because the old guy only knows they’ve been there because the lid of the bird feeder is removed. Every once in a while, a squirrel will wander over while Insider is on watch. They like to hit quick and clumsily and scamper away up a tree to save cover with breakfast, lunch or dinner, leaving behind a scattering of birdseed for the little birds like the old guy’s beloved Sparrows and Cardinals.