Think Capistrano!

For the past several weeks there has been a bird who arrives every morning around 7 and attempts to fly through our windows. You can hear his beak hit the panes throughout the house as he tap tap taps while flapping fruitlessly until his feet gain purchase either on the sill or the screen. He is persistent and not completely clueless, as he will try one window than another. The boys love running around the house from room to room following the bird. "He's back!" "He's in the kitchen!" "He's at the front door!" Great early morning entertainment.

We've mused on why the bird is so persevering. Does he really find our home that inviting? Does he know we keep millet and sunflower seeds in the pantry? Did he once nest in a tree where our house is now standing? Perhaps it's one of those inborn, imprinting things that is somehow programmed into his tiny prehistoric brain--"I must return to 33 latitude, -80 longitude!" Sort of like the swallows of Capistrano , which, funnily enough, are due to return
tomorrow--St.Joseph's Day.

I know very little about the phenomenon, but was reminded by, of all things, Grover from Sesame Street. The Elmo's World portion of the show was devoted to penguins. Grover had traveled to the South Pole and was trying to encourage the penguins to fly somewhere warm. He was stymied when the penguins told him they could not fly. "Well, try! You need to flap your little birdie wings, like this!" While he and the birds are madly flapping away he shouts out encouragingly, "Think Capistrano!", which the penguins join him in chanting before realizing it's hopeless and they dive into the ocean for a swim.

Man, I love the Muppets.

Mark thinks I ought to post video of our feathered friend, but for now all I have are these stills.
We may have to build him a bird house.