Knocking on my chamber door…

This cardinal and his mate have been tap tap tapping on my studio window incessantly for …ever.

I have tried closing the blinds, leaving them half open, open all the way, hanging strings in the window… putting up tiny signs that say hush… and still…every day…he and his mate come back a’ knockin’.

I even suspect that this is the second generation because last year the female had a strange growth on her head…probably from knocking it all day…and this year it’s gone.

One morning this winter, while I was eating breakfast, a cardinal slammed into the kitchen door. I mean kamakazi. He didn’t make it and what with the three feet of snow on the ground the best I could do for him was to throw him in the garden. He sank like a stone. Yesterday I found the bright red feathers amongst the brilliant green chives.

Perhaps he was the patriarch and the current pair are keeping up the family tradition of trying to get into the studio…or just to get my attention…

this must be the muses…

but I’m just not getting it yet.

Any thoughts ?

4 thoughts on “Knocking on my chamber door…

  1. How wonderful!
    a springtime greeting…….
    I had that happen many years ago – it was also a cardinal – and I thought it was so annoying……. now, in my mellow old age (ha)….. I would see it as a visit. Many would say the bird is stupid and is attacking its reflection, but don’t believe that for a second….
    I love your hush note, but Heather, I don’t think they read English 😉 Smile and be happy with this year’s new friends.
    s

  2. Heather, they are attacking the “other” cardinal they see in the glass. Its mating season. Many birds do it but cardinals are notorious for it. You have to cover the outside of the window to cut out all reflections – though that’s not very attractive. You can also try netting like they put over fruit trees. We had that for years in front of the huge windows at Nixon park and never had a bird fly into the glass despite placing all the feeders beside the window. The netting seems to break up the reflection well enough and you can still look out.

  3. Hey there Kim, I figured it was something like that…but these guys have been at that window all winter…must be that aphrodesiac I put in the birdfeed.

  4. I just returned home from a 3 week vacation and found I have two new friends, a male and female Cardinal that peck my windows. They alternate from the living room to the master bedroom. By the bird poop on the back porch, looks like they have been hanging out for 3 weeks! I tried swivel opening the windows, but they just hang on the screen and peer in, and peck. I also tried leaving the back door open to deter them, but the female actually flew inside. I have a Mainecoon cat that was very excited about our visitor. I managed to catch the bird with a towel and sat with her outside for a couple of minutes before releasing her. She flew off with the waiting male. Haven’t seen them for 30 minutes now so maybe they are changing residence? We’ll see. Thanks for your post.

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