Here Comes Bruce!

My grandmother (my mom’s mother) loved birds. She had multiple bird feeders in her yard that she diligently kept full at all times. She loved watching them and identifying them. There wasn’t a local bird that she did not know.

She would have really laughed at the cardinal (we named him Bruce) that lives in the cedar hedge by my front window. Every day (and I mean EVERY day) he flies into the window about 30+ times. He doesn’t hit it very hard, not enough to hurt himself at any rate. Then he struts along the window ledge like he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I suppose he is trying to impress his mate with his ability to defend her from that ‘other’ bird he sees in the window. This bird is nuts! I know where the expression 'bird brain' comes from now though.

The cats initially were highly entertained by the spectacle, often trying to ‘get’ him through the glass. They never could, of course. Sometimes I even felt that Bruce was deliberately taunting them. These days, by the expression on their faces, they are thinking, ‘Is that dumb bird at it again?’ For the most part they ignore him now. You can only watch reruns so many times before you get bored of them.

Honestly, if some guy tried to 'impress' me by basically bashing himself into his own reflection multiple times every day, I would get away from him as fast as possible, wouldn't you?