Maybe I got too much sleep. Maybe I got enough rest to clearly understand how ridiculous it is for some security guard to completely pull my bag apart before he would let me into my own compound. Or maybe I’m just tired of coping with BS. At any rate, I was very grumpy after I got to work today. When I called Paul, our V2, “sweetie” on the radio, I knew I needed to take a walk to change my perspective. I didn’t have to go far. Outside the office trailer was a cacophony of bird sounds. A small gray/brown bird was sitting up in the rafters chirping away. Soon I became aware of another, somewhat more brightly colored bird, also singing. He was mostly gray with a black goatee and mask, a mottled brown back and a white stripe on his wing. His wife was similar in size and had the white stripe, but she was browner and not as colorful. They were house sparrows. House sparrows are among the most common birds in America, and in fact, in the world. They thrive near humans. The cheeky little birds you see foraging at your patio restaurant table are probably house sparrows. They are so associated with humans that you aren’t likely to encounter any in wild country. House sparrows were originally native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. They were first introduced into North America when some were released in New York City in 1852 and now their range extends from the Northern Territories in Canada down to Panama. These little birds are very resourceful. A pair in Portland was known for teaching their fledglings how to use the sensor to open the automatic doors at a grocery store. People have lived with house sparrows for millennia and have often put their own interpretations on them. According to iBird, in Japan they are symbols of loyalty, the Old Testament associates them with loneliness, and the New Testament uses them as a symbol of insignificance. A group of house sparrows can be called a ”blight,” a “humiliation,” or a “subdivision.” Here in the Indianapolis parking lot TV compound, our house sparrow couple has a nest located in an electrical conduit pass-through in an overhead concrete beam. Is anything in the nest? Sure enough, after a few minutes away, mom came back with a little tidbit and a demanding, wide-open pink beak made an insistent appearance. Babies! I know there’s at least one baby, but the nest is too far up and it’s too dark to tell if there are others. It was also too dark to get a decent picture, though I tried. I got my travel binoculars and watched the busy little family for a while. I suspect a few people wondered what their Tech Manager might have been doing peering at the underside of a parking structure with a pair of binoculars… After a decent interlude it was time to go back to work. I was feeling much more relaxed. The happy and constructive little birds didn’t look lonely or insignificant, and they certainly didn’t constitute a blight or a humiliation. I also resolved to be happy and constructive. That didn’t always work, but the rest of the day did go much more smoothly. On to Miami.
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 03:53:35 +0000
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