our nest, a robin’s nest right next to our bathroom window, went empty 2 weeks ago. For the last week we had to wonder, how did they fit in there. Congrat’s.
….but don’t the trees look nice and full. – Sheriff Andy
11.
zhena gogolia
Great story! The pictures have been fab.
12.
Elizabelle
Did they return their router?
Did you see them around at all today?
Looks like all 5 survived; that’s wonderful. Congratulations.
13.
ruemara
Congrats, Pops! You did good.
14.
Steve in the ATL
@SiubhanDuinne: every time I try to type “pain” on my phones, which has been a lot lately, Tim Cook changes it to “Odin”. WTF? Still not as good as “Ho, fund me” though!
LOL. If I were a true conspiracy theorist, I’d be looking for all kinds of cabalistic hidden occult messages in Autocorrect’s whimsical and arbitrary spellchecks.
19.
Pogonip
Cheer up, Cole. Now you’ll have plenty of time to build little tunnels for the worms so they won’t get dirty as they move through the earth.
Your safety net amused everyone I showed it to. You’re a good, if eccentric, egg.
20.
RoonieRoo
Leave the nest up for a couple of days. I don’t know if house finches are like my barn swallows. They come back to the nest at night for at least a few days before they are 100% gone.
I may be mistaken, but I feel as though I haven’t seen you in roughly forever! Nice to see you!
24.
M4
@Steve in the ATL: mine capitalizes Against, Stupidity, Nuts, Corny, and assorted other proper nouns I use in stories. Curse the sharing of dictionaries across the full Apple ecosystem!
25.
RoonieRoo
@SiubhanDuinne: Thank you. It has been a while. My mom passed unexpectedly and my sisters and I have been wrapped up in all the things in life that creates. I miss my mom but I have been reminded that I have a wonderful family.
26.
Kay
Charlie Kushner says ethics watchdogs are “jerks” who “can’t get a real job.”
To reporters: “Do you want me to throw you out of here now? Because I will. Then you can write whatever the f*** you want about me.”
The story sounds like it will be at least interesting, but it’s not. He’s as much of a bore as the Trumps. It’s an extended whine about how he’s being treated unfairly and is sacrificing so much because his idiot son is some kind of bogus “adviser” to the President. Me, me, me. I’m so great, you’re all so stupid, let me lob some insults and threats and my stupid lackeys can giggle approvingly.
@RoonieRoo: My condolences on your mom, and especially for the unexpected passing. That is hard for you and sisters. Good to see you.
28.
Mary G
@RoonieRoo: I am sorry about your mom and glad you have your family.
29.
Gelfling 545
@SiubhanDuinne: Same hsppens to me with some frequency. Also quite often the predictive suggestions when I begin to type are Trump or asshole. I mean, yes, I have used those words ore often that usual but not THAT much.
” How is the fern? ”
Cole needs to remember that the loyal fern abides and is standing by his side.
Cole: we are here for you, big guy, don’t worry. You’ll pull through.
Soon you will have a huge charm of loving and adoring Cole finches around your house.
And we’ll look forward to the various disasters they’ll cause when several generations of them are driving you crazy.
31.
Gelfling 545
@Kay: One begins to feel there may be some slight excuse, or at least explanation for Jared. And I can really see him and Ivanka bonding over the shared experience of sociopathic fathers.
Soon you will have a huge charm of loving and adoring Cole finches around your house.
Finchnado!
36.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: That this comment is the first one on the thread might be the most Balloon Juice thing ever.
37.
ruemara
@RoonieRoo: I’m so sorry. My deepest condolences and I’m glad you have each other for support.
38.
Mary Ellen Sandahl
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.): Those are down feathers, plucked from the parents’ breasts by the parents after completing the structure of the nest, for cushioning and helping keep the eggs and hatchlings warm. The babies’ actual shit comes out in little bits which the parents carefully remove. Ma Nature knows what she’s doing.
There, there, John. It’s so cool you got to witness this process, and doubly cool you shared it with us all.
41.
Duane
That was good of you Cole. A baby bird fell from a tree in our backyard. I told everyone leave it alone. We watched it get back to the nest. Learned that here at this full-service blog.
@Omnes Omnibus: pancreatitis, which is clearing up, and a perfect storm of other normally minor conditions which go back to having C.Diff. two years ago.
@Immanentize: thanks–we already have two close friends who are law professors, but you can never have enough!
That the entire nest fledged with no losses is a very uncommon thing and shows you did a very good job being non-intrusive. At this point, it’s up to nature and fate which of the little peeps makes it and heads off to find territory/mates of their own.
And the world now has four new dinosaurs roaming it. :-)
68.
Shell
I wonder what the white fluffy padding is in the nest. Dog/cat hair? Dryer lint?
69.
Shell
A little weepy tonight. Just got back the ashes of my dog, Kate who passed three weeks ago. I raised a little glass of wine to her, with a milk bone by the box (though Beggin’ Strips was her usual cocktail hour choice.)
70.
Elie
Sniff, sniff — John, you did a great job! You must be a proud papa….. They are gone so soon!
Coming soon to an amazon ad near you: Peepslide 9000.
And they said blogging was a monetary sinkhole…
74.
Steeplejack
Whoa, I think I’m actually getting a new (to me) episode of Vera tonight on one of my two big PBS stations (Maryland)—and in pledge week, too!
They’ve been recycling various old episodes for a while, but this one looked unfamiliar, and, sure enough, IMDB says it’s Season 8, Episode 1, from January. Yee-haw. Just going to sit down to dinner and watch. Be back later.
Sorry for your loss, a Mom is hardest of all to lose. Hang in there, glad your family is holding you close!
Take care and stay in touch with your pack!
76.
Gelfling 545
If the finches are anything like “my” robins, they’ll be back, year after year. I know it’s reslly spring when I hear the chirping in the eaves.
(My predictive typing suggestions this time were Seth Myers and Silence pf the lambs – things I’m reasonably sure I have never typed before. I think my iPad is messing with me now.
@Steve in the ATL: best wishes for your wife’s continued recovery. She really had been put through the wringer lately. As have you and the rest of your family.
79.
Omnes Omnibus
@RoonieRoo: Christ, I missed that. My condolences.
@Kay: I had to snicker…most of the comments on that article on RawStory were some version of “Convicted felon says what?” which was the one detail that article left out.
83.
sukabi
@NotMax: so they say…I’ve turned mine off a couple of times…it turns itself back on.?
One of these mornings you’re gonna rise up singing
And you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning, there ain’t nothin’ can harm you
With daddy and mommy standin’ by
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schrodingers_cat
How is the fern?
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
Empty nester.
FlyingToaster
@schrodingers_cat: The guano should help it.
Joyce Harmon
John, ya done good.
I'll be Frank
our nest, a robin’s nest right next to our bathroom window, went empty 2 weeks ago. For the last week we had to wonder, how did they fit in there. Congrat’s.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
Damn. They left a heap of shit behind, didn’t they?
Schlemazel
TIPPP-a-cal renters! move out with giving notice & leave all their shit behind!
You’ll see them flying by & know they are your birdies JC and who knows, maybe next yer one will return to do it all over again
Major Major Major Major
Won’t somebody think of the poor, unused peepslide?
SiubhanDuinne
Awww Ichihara a sad moment. And such a happy and proud moment.
ETA:
Wait, what the everloving fuck?
What I typed, and what I fucking MEANT, was “Such a sad moment.”
A lot of the time, I just really don’t even understand where Autocorrect is even coming from.
TaMara (HFG)
….but don’t the trees look nice and full. – Sheriff Andy
zhena gogolia
Great story! The pictures have been fab.
Elizabelle
Did they return their router?
Did you see them around at all today?
Looks like all 5 survived; that’s wonderful. Congratulations.
ruemara
Congrats, Pops! You did good.
Steve in the ATL
@SiubhanDuinne: every time I try to type “pain” on my phones, which has been a lot lately, Tim Cook changes it to “Odin”. WTF? Still not as good as “Ho, fund me” though!
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
They’ll be back to do laundry or when they need money.
rikyrah
Awe??
You are good people, Cole.
They all survived long enough to ditch you.????
stinger
If they’re not using it, can I come over and slide down the slide?
SiubhanDuinne
@Steve in the ATL:
LOL. If I were a true conspiracy theorist, I’d be looking for all kinds of cabalistic hidden occult messages in Autocorrect’s whimsical and arbitrary spellchecks.
Pogonip
Cheer up, Cole. Now you’ll have plenty of time to build little tunnels for the worms so they won’t get dirty as they move through the earth.
Your safety net amused everyone I showed it to. You’re a good, if eccentric, egg.
RoonieRoo
Leave the nest up for a couple of days. I don’t know if house finches are like my barn swallows. They come back to the nest at night for at least a few days before they are 100% gone.
SiubhanDuinne
@stinger:
I demand a trampoline.
kindness
You are a good Uncle John. The parents did most the work but you protected them.
SiubhanDuinne
@RoonieRoo:
I may be mistaken, but I feel as though I haven’t seen you in roughly forever! Nice to see you!
M4
@Steve in the ATL: mine capitalizes Against, Stupidity, Nuts, Corny, and assorted other proper nouns I use in stories. Curse the sharing of dictionaries across the full Apple ecosystem!
RoonieRoo
@SiubhanDuinne: Thank you. It has been a while. My mom passed unexpectedly and my sisters and I have been wrapped up in all the things in life that creates. I miss my mom but I have been reminded that I have a wonderful family.
Kay
The story sounds like it will be at least interesting, but it’s not. He’s as much of a bore as the Trumps. It’s an extended whine about how he’s being treated unfairly and is sacrificing so much because his idiot son is some kind of bogus “adviser” to the President. Me, me, me. I’m so great, you’re all so stupid, let me lob some insults and threats and my stupid lackeys can giggle approvingly.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Elizabelle
@RoonieRoo: My condolences on your mom, and especially for the unexpected passing. That is hard for you and sisters. Good to see you.
Mary G
@RoonieRoo: I am sorry about your mom and glad you have your family.
Gelfling 545
@SiubhanDuinne: Same hsppens to me with some frequency. Also quite often the predictive suggestions when I begin to type are Trump or asshole. I mean, yes, I have used those words ore often that usual but not THAT much.
jl
@schrodingers_cat:
” How is the fern? ”
Cole needs to remember that the loyal fern abides and is standing by his side.
Cole: we are here for you, big guy, don’t worry. You’ll pull through.
Soon you will have a huge charm of loving and adoring Cole finches around your house.
And we’ll look forward to the various disasters they’ll cause when several generations of them are driving you crazy.
Gelfling 545
@Kay: One begins to feel there may be some slight excuse, or at least explanation for Jared. And I can really see him and Ivanka bonding over the shared experience of sociopathic fathers.
PaulWartenberg
BOOOOORRRRRNNNN FREEEEEEEEE…
NotMax
‘Tis spring, ’tis spring,
The bird is on the wing.
But that’s absurd –
The wing is on the bird!
Also too: Um, one can turn off autocorrect.
Just sayin’.
Omnes Omnibus
@Steve in the ATL: Why are you typing pain? Are you Thor?
NotMax
@jl
Finchnado!
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: That this comment is the first one on the thread might be the most Balloon Juice thing ever.
ruemara
@RoonieRoo: I’m so sorry. My deepest condolences and I’m glad you have each other for support.
Mary Ellen Sandahl
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.): Those are down feathers, plucked from the parents’ breasts by the parents after completing the structure of the nest, for cushioning and helping keep the eggs and hatchlings warm. The babies’ actual shit comes out in little bits which the parents carefully remove. Ma Nature knows what she’s doing.
rikyrah
@Kay:
Is this the father of brother?
Mary Ellen Sandahl
There, there, John. It’s so cool you got to witness this process, and doubly cool you shared it with us all.
Duane
That was good of you Cole. A baby bird fell from a tree in our backyard. I told everyone leave it alone. We watched it get back to the nest. Learned that here at this full-service blog.
rikyrah
They are after Joy Reid again?
https://twitter.com/eclecticbrotha/status/1002668811487727616?s=20
https://twitter.com/Kennymack1971/status/1002659267126743040?s=20
lahke
Is it my eyes? I see white fluff, and then half a nest of brown fluff in a birdy-type shape that almost looks like a defunct bird.
rikyrah
@Kay:
Remember, the sister selling visas to the Chinese?
Awful grifters – the entire lot of them?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Steve in the ATL:
The program to flash ROM on Samsung phones is called “Odin”.
lahke
Having finally read the other comments, am reassured.
Sorry about your mom, RoonieRoo.
Yutsano
@Kay: I literally had brain cells commit suicide from reading that…
MomSense
@RoonieRoo:
I’m so sorry, Ronnie Roo. Condolences to you and your family.
Planetpundit
Imagining those birdies tweeting “Why did the big hairless one put up that ski ramp under our nest?”
Rob
Goodbye finches!
rikyrah
Uh huh
Uh huh ?
https://twitter.com/queerBengali/status/1002320818385416192?s=20
Steve in the ATL
@Omnes Omnibus:
1. My secret identity/identities is/are none of your business; and
2. I am responding to inquiries regarding my wife’s health.
rikyrah
@RoonieRoo:
Sorry about your loss ?
Planetpundit
@jl: and now John’s fern is named The Dude
Steve in the ATL
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I will bear that in mind should my life ever take such an awful turn that I no longer have an iPhone!
Duane
@Major Major Major Major: Pictures of baby birds sliding down a tarp wold have been fun. Full-service blog my butt.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Guess Cole’s an “Empty Nester” now.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Steve in the ATL: Did I mention that my Samsung has a stylus?
Immanentize
,@Steve in the ATL: I am available to assist if my experience would be useful.
Steve in the ATL
@?BillinGlendaleCA: so did my palm pilot in 2000!
I know Samsung makes good phones. We just have a relationship with Apple.
Sab
@SiubhanDuinne: I believe it was Steeplejack that told me about six months ago how to disable autocorrect.
It sure is easier to comment now, but sometimes I miss the really bizarre comments it came up with.
Omnes Omnibus
@Steve in the ATL: I knew #2, but I could not resist the bad joke. How is she doing? Any answers?
CaseyL
It would be amazing if this species likes to use the same nest from year to year.
We should note in our calendars for next May: “Have JC’s finches ret’d?”
What’s also amazing is now fast the babies went from barely-feathered to flown-and-gone!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Steve in the ATL:
Sounds kinky.
Steve in the ATL
@Omnes Omnibus: pancreatitis, which is clearing up, and a perfect storm of other normally minor conditions which go back to having C.Diff. two years ago.
@Immanentize: thanks–we already have two close friends who are law professors, but you can never have enough!
Omnes Omnibus
@Steve in the ATL: Best wishes to her for a speedy recovery.
ArchTeryx
That the entire nest fledged with no losses is a very uncommon thing and shows you did a very good job being non-intrusive. At this point, it’s up to nature and fate which of the little peeps makes it and heads off to find territory/mates of their own.
And the world now has four new dinosaurs roaming it. :-)
Shell
I wonder what the white fluffy padding is in the nest. Dog/cat hair? Dryer lint?
Shell
A little weepy tonight. Just got back the ashes of my dog, Kate who passed three weeks ago. I raised a little glass of wine to her, with a milk bone by the box (though Beggin’ Strips was her usual cocktail hour choice.)
Elie
Sniff, sniff — John, you did a great job! You must be a proud papa….. They are gone so soon!
Elie
@Shell:
Cottonwood fluff or dandelion gone to seed…?
zhena gogolia
@Shell:
See #38.
p.a.
Coming soon to an amazon ad near you: Peepslide 9000.
And they said blogging was a monetary sinkhole…
Steeplejack
Whoa, I think I’m actually getting a new (to me) episode of Vera tonight on one of my two big PBS stations (Maryland)—and in pledge week, too!
They’ve been recycling various old episodes for a while, but this one looked unfamiliar, and, sure enough, IMDB says it’s Season 8, Episode 1, from January. Yee-haw. Just going to sit down to dinner and watch. Be back later.
J R in WV
@RoonieRoo:
Sorry for your loss, a Mom is hardest of all to lose. Hang in there, glad your family is holding you close!
Take care and stay in touch with your pack!
Gelfling 545
If the finches are anything like “my” robins, they’ll be back, year after year. I know it’s reslly spring when I hear the chirping in the eaves.
(My predictive typing suggestions this time were Seth Myers and Silence pf the lambs – things I’m reasonably sure I have never typed before. I think my iPad is messing with me now.
satby
@RoonieRoo: deepest condolences on the passing of your mom. Good that your family was able to support and comfort each other.
satby
@Steve in the ATL: best wishes for your wife’s continued recovery. She really had been put through the wringer lately. As have you and the rest of your family.
Omnes Omnibus
@RoonieRoo: Christ, I missed that. My condolences.
satby
You done good John. Congrats on them all getting out alive, something that doesn’t always happen with baby birds.
You can practically count on them coming back next year now that they know you’ll put out the welcome slide.
satby
@Shell: aww {{Shell}}
So sorry.
sukabi
@Kay: I had to snicker…most of the comments on that article on RawStory were some version of “Convicted felon says what?” which was the one detail that article left out.
sukabi
@NotMax: so they say…I’ve turned mine off a couple of times…it turns itself back on.?
Steve in the ATL
@satby: thank you!
NCSteve
One of these mornings you’re gonna rise up singing
And you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning, there ain’t nothin’ can harm you
With daddy and mommy standin’ by