Cheep digs.

Some days are just “for the birds” … today was one of them.

I hustled out of the house earlier than usual and the walk through the neighborhoods was extraordinarily quiet today.

I’ve wanted to write about this little birdhouse, pictured above, for a while now. It seems to blend right into the leafy branches of the tree. You could pass right by without noticing … that is, unless the baby birdies are up and at ‘em, making petite cheeps as they wait for Mama to feed them breakfast.

So, I’ve gotten into the habit of occasionally meandering by the birdhouse on the last leg of my walk, hoping for a photo op of one or more of its inhabitants peeking out the “pie hole” or sitting on the perch. No luck though. I don’t think the parents are empty nesters yet as I still hear the faint cheeps and peeps coming from the young ‘uns.

After this morning’s four-mile walk, I headed in the car to Petco in Allen Park to get supplies for my own little birdie, Buddy. There was no traffic on Outer Drive, but, just as I neared Independence Marketplace, there was a cluster of cars stopped and blocking two of the three lanes. Luckily, I was already in the right-hand lane for the mall, and, as I inched forward, I discovered the reason for the traffic snarl. There were multiple families of Canada Geese being shepherded across the street from a grassy area over to the median by one huge goose. “The Goose in Charge” was taking its time, waddling along, looking this way and that, without a care in the world. A few more full-sized geese were behind him and a passel of youngsters tagged along obediently. Those goslings are no longer the fuzzy-and-feathered darlings that we might have oohed and ahhed over just a few weeks ago. Now they are tall, with slender bodies that look like boats and sporting extra-long legs and over-sized web feet. I was happy to see that all the drivers were patient and not a horn was honked. It sure was good for a giggle, but good thing the gaggle didn’t try this trick at 8:45 a.m. on a weekday.

At Petco, I passed by a display of baby parrots – conures to be precise. A huge sign said “come interact with us”, so I approached the enclosed area and rapped lightly on the glass with my knuckles. One bright-green conure was sitting in a corner, staring at the back wall of the cage. I swear all he needed was a dunce cap. His counterpart, however, was named José, and he had a long tail that was the colors of the rainbow. This playful parrot hopped along the perch and came right over to get up close and personal with me. Next, he cocked his head and raised one foot high off the perch. I took that as a “hello”, so I rapped my knuckles on the glass again. He reciprocated by doing the head tilt once more, then abruptly turned his back on me. I mused that, if he could lose the attitude, he might have been a great accessory and perfect partner to perch on someone’s shoulder during a mix-and-mingle with all of the other “Parrot Heads” at the Jimmy Buffett concert tonight.

So much for interacting with this feathered prima donna. Miffed that my looks were so perplexing to José, I told him “adios” and flew the coop.

You can catch up on my blog posts before I started blogging at Patch in August 2013 by going here: http://lindaschaubblog.net/