We have a big porch on the front of the farmhouse, as, in my opinion, all farmhouses should. You can see out onto the front acreage, and it's a beautiful place to sit and watch the sunrise. The only problem with it is that birds like the view as well. In the past, barn swallows have been the main residents of the porch rafters. (Barn swallows - you know, the ones that dive at your head like feathered fighter jets when you walk into their territory. It's terrifying, really.) But, last year, my dad decided to get crafty and nailed a rubber snake (see pic of this very intimidating snake) very strategically in the area where the swallows usually build their summer homes.
And it worked!
Until now.
Dad is waging war against a new winged foe now: a Phoebe. She makes this sound like someone is whistling at you: hey YOU! Or, as one of my bird nerd friends pointed out, she also kinda sounds like R2-D2. She's kinda small and looks totally harmless to me. But she's proven to be insistent, determined ... and ridiculously brave for such a little bird. For, not only does she seem to be completely impervious to the rubber snake, but she also seems to be making fun of my dad's tactic. 'Cause she's building her nest ...
on the snake.
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