Mommy Friday: The Front Porch Finch Edition

One recent winter, the moms were feeling lazy after the holidays and neglected to remove the annual Christmas wreath from it's ceremonial spot on the front door. So lazy, in fact, that January, February, March and April passed, and with the arrival of May we began to notice some unexpected activity from within the twigs. Finches! A very proud Mama and Papa finch had deemed our awning covered front door an acceptable habitat and were busily gathering sticks, errant pug fur, and leaf remnants to construct their new aves home. It's a genius location, really, if you're a bird living in the middle of a major metropolis. Not only are they protected from the elements by the awning, but it's highly unlikely that a resident squirrel would be able to shimmy up the (glass) screened door, or that they would be spotted by an egg stealing bird of prey (protecting them from the bevy of mischievous Hmong children that live across the street, however, would prove far more challenging). Not too surprisingly, the resident humans posed the most immediate danger (perceived or otherwise) in finch land, so we began using the back door until Mama and Papa were more comfortably settled and "nesting". Eventually, and much to our delight, eggs appeared one day. We monitored their progress on a daily basis, fretting if Mama finch disappeared for too long, ducking our heads in shame if a very vocal Papa finch deemed us too close to his anticipated family, and hoping that we would ultimately witness the winged result of their joint efforts. Shortly after the inaugural generation of front door finches hatched, and then fledged, I learned that I was pregnant with Lili. Spring had sprung. 

Much to our neighbor's chagrin, we now intentionally leave our Christmas wreath up long past its expiration date, hoping that Mama and Papa F. will make their annual pilgrimage to our front porch. Three years running, and we have not been disappointed. Two years running, and neither has Lili.