The male stood guard on a
branch above and then below
and around while the female

painstakingly placed the twigs
in just the right spot weaving
them together into a tight,

reliable cradle for the precious
eggs which would be home for
Cardinal offspring. But they never

used it. All that work and
they never used it. The man
waited and waited in anti-

cipation of a front row seat
to the birthing, feeding and
nurturing right outside his

study window, but nothing. The
nest was abandoned before be-
ing used. He saw a Cowbird there

one day. Did the bird leave
its scent and violate the sanc-
tity of the home? No female Cow-

bird surreptituously slipped
in leaving her eggs in the nest
for the hardworking builders

to function as surrogates for
the lazy thieves. And then the
man wondered if it was his fault.

Did the birds see him on the
other side of the glass between
the slats of the blinds? Was he

the intruder on their privacy?
He sits looking at the abandoned

nest feeling sad and somehow
responsible, in the classic human
response of placing himself in

the center of what’s going on
as if the birds couldn’t possibly
have a life of their own without

any reference to human behavior.