From My Windowsill

Posted on by Victoria

And Now…for Some Lighter News…

I’m no ornithologist. I took a guess at how to spell that five-syllable word and came up lucky. With all the ‘assists’ these days, I assume my supreme spell checker, assistant/BOT, “friend” on the other side of the screen would’ve corrected me if I goofed. If not, my bad. (Which I recently learned is fuddy-duddy phrase. My critic? A nineteen-year-old who offered an eyeroll, a sigh and the unsolicited feedback…because he knows allthethings. A story for another day. Back to the birds.)

I picked up a muse recently. (No. Not the nineteen-year-old, but you’re funny, aren’t you?) No…I’m talking about a wee little birdie who visits me in the morning. Not quite like clockwork but often enough that I feel he (she?) deserves a name, but I haven’t committed yet. I’m stuck on the question about the flock he/she might hail from.

In the pic captured above you’ll see my sorry-looking excuse of a photo/action shot (on the left). Instead of startling the wee fluff ball, my bird buddy fluffed those sherbet-toned feathers. Boldly. Posturing? Posing? I dunno! But I liked his spunk. (Oh…game over. Now I’ve gendered HIM. So he’s a him, okay?)

I talked to him for a bit and watched, smiling, as he cocked his head one way and then the other before departing. The next time he popped by, I scared the life out of him because the window was open, and I think he thought he’d mistakenly landed in the crazy lady’s lair.

In my best soothing voice, I said,

Helllllloooo. All is well. Nice to see you!

And he gave me his now customary head swivel and departed.

Can you tell he’s a great diversion? Sadly, no visits to my windowsill today but I’ll welcome him when he pops around again.

Here’s my first question. Given my sparse description and the grainy through-the-screen photo, do you suppose my little friend is a house finch?  I’ll offer you a better side-by-side comparison of my photo (image on the left) and an example of a house finch (image on the right). See below. Input welcome.

Here’s my second question. I’d like to name him. What do you think of Giorgio? I’ve never met any person (or bird) with that name, but it came to mind when we first met. Input welcome.

That’s the news from my windowsill. Please let me know what you think. House finch? Giorgio? Other ideas?

Vicki 😊

P.S. And this! Here’s my favorite reflective piece about birds, the power of friendship and my dear friend Kathleen. 🥰

58 thoughts on “From My Windowsill”

  2. I think you’re right on with Giorgio being a him. The hims in the bird world are the ones with all of the festive colors, right? The hers are quietly understated for the sake of safety, I suppose. Giorgio is a perfect name—does he speak Italian?

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    1. Ah! I think you’re on to something, Jules! Maybe his vibrant feathers and the puffing of his chest conveyed ‘him’ vibes. You must be right…and with a name like Giorgio, he must be a manly little bird, fluent in Italian, well-versed in the secrets to a life well-lived. Let’s build a whole persona for him! Sending big hugs to you – from me and Giorgio! 💕🥰💕

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  3. I have no opinions, but I know this, Wynne: Your only problem is if he complains about the name. In that event, you and the kids will have to move to another state.

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    1. First! I’m delighted that I’m giving you “Wynne vibes”, Dr. Stein. Thank you for that! And second…if “Giorgio” complains about his name, I’m going to lay the blame squarely on Wynne, Mr. D. and Miss O. You’re giving me the best cover story! 🥰😊🥰

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  4. so, so cute! I’m guessing that you’ve id’d it correctly. what a sweet friendship you have. I also think he is a boy, because he is so very colorful, and that’s what they’re known for in nature. I love his name, and I wonder what he’s telling his bird friends that he’s named you ? )

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  8. Definitely maybe a house finch. He’s your bird (sort of) and if you like Giorgio, we love Giorgio. The bird is cute and the name is cute, but the most spectacular, stupendous, superduperous thing I read is “my bad” may be going away. Sorry. Not a fan. Never was. 🤷🏻‍♂️

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    1. I’m with you — I wonder how “my bad” found its way into my vocabulary. Hubs says it’s an old school basketball thing…which is hilarious. Things I’m not! Thx for the smile about Giorgio’s name! 🥰

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      1. Haha! Old school basketball. The last time I played basketball was in grade school and it’s not even there any more. I guess that’s as old school as it gets, but I seem to recall we still were using proper(ish) grammar!

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  10. Can’t say I know a whole lot about birds, but based on the picture, I’d say yes, House Finch. I love the name Giorgio. Most definitely a him. Hims are the most colourful in nature. Ever seen a peacock vs. a peahen, or cardinals. Males are much more vibrant. Except among humans, like your 19 year old pickup. Keep saying “my bad” just for fun. 🤣

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  13. Giorgio the house finch. How fitting! with all the chaos of the day-to-day, it can be nice to have these little diversions, especially beautiful and chirpy little diversions. 🙂

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  14. Giorgio is a good name for whatever kind of bird he is. I’m not much into birds. I can identify cardinals, blue jays, and robins because they’re colorful, but other birds all look about the same to me. 🤷‍♀️

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    1. Same here, Ally — identifying this little dude was a real head scratcher for me. I’m so glad you like his name. I’ll let him know you approve. 😁 No sightings yet today, but I might’ve missed him when I detoured to do other stuff. xo!

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  18. It’s lovely when we get visitors from nature in our homes, such as birds. And what a pretty bird. Looks like a house finch to me!

    Giorgio is a fun time. I am throwing Atticus into the hat for your consideration!

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  20. I’m the son of an ornithologist (My dad worked on the recovery project for the Aleutian Canada Goose, a subspecies of the far more famous, Canada Goose), though the gene didn’t rub off on me. Of course, I learned a few things in the process and have a healthy respect for all things nature, but I couldn’t tell you the bird. The finch I’m most familiar with is the American Goldfish. They are yellow and found throughout the United States and even into Mexico and Canada. I don’t know why, but a little alliteration seems in order. Freddy the Finch (street smart finch), Felipe the Finch (Hispanic), or Florence the Finch or Flo from Progressive for short (movie/television star). 😊

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    1. Pete…How did I miss that piece of info…or forget about it!?! Your papa was an ornithologist? Wow! I bet plenty of things rubbed off on you…most importantly your respect for nature, as you said. Thank you for the chuckles…Freddy the Finch. Of course, he’ll be the ‘street smart’ dude and Felipe and Florence…Flo…we’ll have a whole flock before we know it! 🤣🥰🤣

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      1. Yep, I did my share of backseat driving as a kid when Dad turned his head to stare at some bird.

        I don’t think it will be a problem, but we had no Internet earlier today. Lots of problems with our provider lately. I’m looking forward to chatting with you and Wynne tomorrow. If for some reason I’m not there, that will be the reason.

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  21. I have what I think is a House Finch that comes and taps on my bedroom window air-conditioner. I have been tapping on the window to answer and it likes to have a good look at me (it’s so cute). I have promised my husband I won’t start feeding it … for now … haha! I like the name Giorgio that you have for your bird, it seems to fits it happy vibe.

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    1. Hello, Molly! I love that we have both have charming finch friends. I’m with you — so darn cute that we want to communicate in any way we can. Including leaving a little snack for them…but I haven’t done that yet, either. 🥰

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