Protection

A male cardinal clinging to a window screen

For months now, this male cardinal has been terrorizing my bathroom and office windows. In the early mornings of the weekend, he’s jumping on the screen and pecking at the glass. I’ve read a bit and learned that he’s likely attacking his reflection. Setting up pictures of owls or other threats may only make him more likely to attack, they say. I’ve become a bit numb to it, but I’ve wanted to get a picture of him in action for some time. And today, I grabbed my camera just fast enough to get him. His mate is on the bird feeder collecting seeds while he protects her from…the windows.

I wonder how much of my life and the things I do really boil down to pecking at windows. How much of my fear, how many of my perceived threats, are manufactured in my own head?

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