Grotesque Caturday

Bad Astronomy
By Phil Plait
Jul 2, 2011 4:00 PMNov 20, 2019 12:07 AM

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A few years back, I was out with Mrs. BA and we happened to see some gargoyle statuettes. I was surprised to find out she liked them (surprising people are the best people to know). Over the years I've picked up a couple, and one in particular we hung up outside the front door. We like it there, and we're not the only ones. This young lady decided it would make a nice home:

She showed up last week, and within a few hours had built that nest. And she and her hubby -- common house finches -- didn't waste any time, either, laying eggs within a day or so.

This picture, taken by my brother in law Chris, is already out of date; just yesterday we saw that two of the eggs had hatched. I'm not sure of the third egg's status right now; at first she flew away every time we walked by (the gargoyle and nest are right next to our front door), but now she seems a lot more confident, and sticks around. We can't see inside the nest now, but I expect we'll be hearing from the chicks very soon. I'm not inclined to disturb them. And I have some experience here. [Update: I forgot to note that the quote "Surprising people are the best people to know" is from science fiction author Larry Niven. One of the truest things he's ever said.]


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