Reflection? What reflection?

Crap, I just realized I missed commemorating this blog’s six-month anniversary. It was yesterday, the 17th. Well, it’s not like I was gonna give it flowers or anything.

Yesterday I got my quarterly haircut. The haircut was at 10:30 a.m.; I forgot to look in the mirror until the next morning, when I took a shower. Geez. I guess I am getting to be that age when I truly don’t care any more.

For most of this week, a male indigo bunting has been attacking its reflection in the window right next to where I work. It’s kind of interesting to think that a lack of self-awareness could constitute such a grave handicap. Birds are far from dumb, but they do have their misprisions. I’ve seen robins, cardinals and towhees go to war with their reflections, but this is the first bunting. The odd thing is that his mate sits and watches, and when he’s off somewhere else (perhaps feeding the nestlings?) she takes over. Who knew that female passerines had such strong territorial instincts?

Though one wonders why they don’t compare notes about the intruder’s sex and color (she’s brown, he is of course indigo). Perhaps they have learned, like so many human couples, to avoid arguments. Or perhaps this whole thing is some kind of displaced aggression stemming from suppressed intra-marital conflict.

At least they don’t have to worry about forgetting six-month anniversaries. I don’t believe buntings stay together for longer than one season.

An extremely small spider just climbed an extremely long strand of web, going right past my nose. Good luck, kiddo! Don’t forget to write!

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