We found a dead bird in the driveway a couple days ago but it doesn't look like the nest bird. I thought I saw her yesterday morning in the tree by the porch but I haven't seen her all day. Usually she flies away as soon as I appear at the door but there hasn't been any activity.

Early morning by the resevoir over the hill...I drove an herbalist to the airport this morning. She said this spring has been one of the prettiest and richest she has seen, all the wilflowers and herbs are abundant.

Today there are 5 eggs and no new eggs for a week so this is the family the bird will be nurturing. Although there has been a lot less rain than last year and the rainfall totals are well below normal it has been a very beautiful spring, one of the nicest I've ever seen.

Alice's favorite toy is a plant stake with a feather from a feather duster taped to the end. I can sit in the club chair and play with her while she reclines on the bed. She's very quick. She probably doesn't understand that the bird is our friend and not a toy to be hunted and tortured to death. The trees outdoors are starting to show new leaves and yesterday I saw some of the returning doves.

She has flown in a few more times in the early evening, each time I turn off all the lights and point the flashlight outside and then she flies out into the dark background-possibly into my other blog where she flies around hallways in my dreams or across roads lit by streetlights.

Alice watches the nest intently from her indoor perch. When she sees the bird she makes a sound like a combination of purring and meowing, as though she's having a mouth watering memory of her hunting escapades.

I came home a couple hours later and she was still inside. Alice was crying for being locked up in the utility room. I let her inside and she began to stalk the bird. I've seen her catch hummingbirds so I knew it was only a matter of time before she got this sparrow. The bird kept dodging the open door so I laid a flashlight on the bed, turned on, pointing outside at the porch screen, and turned off the lights in the room. After nudging her a bit with a broom she followed the light source and soared outside into the dark evening. Alice misses her already.

She flew in tonight and she can't figure out how to get out. Alice is beside herself, I put her out in the utility room for safety. The bird is flying just too high enough to find the door. I have to leave for work but I may have to leave the door open while I'm gone. She's flying around a lot. I may have to use a broom to persuade her to the exit.

There's a new egg today bringing the brood to five. A window washer came to the house today who knew the two previous owners. Originally there were more plants for nests by the back porch and hanging baskets under the eaves where the doves nested. I was thinking the other day of putting up hanging baskets to have more shade that the trees used to provide before they were trimmed back. I want to make a nesting box with a web cam that the birds can use annually.

The nest is just behind the screen and the flowers growing in the shade, between the eaves, a nice cool and sheltered setting. There used to be two very large shade trees next to the house but the new landlords had solar panels installed and the tree trimmers cut the trees way back. They used to be the same size but one is definitely a lot smaller now. The trees are just starting to sprout new leaves but it's a lot less this year, they used to be very dense with leaves. Obviously this used to be the birds home but found a new place by my door. The neighbors have bird feeders that attract various birds including mourning doves but I haven't seen or heard any doves this year. They mate for life and reuse their nests each year. Perhaps they migrated back and found their neighborhood changed and the nests missing.

I discovered the nest outside my door a few days ago. There are jasmine vines climbing up the lath and through the screen the blossoms reach towards my door. I saw a lot of petals on the ground and wondered what that was all about and then I looked up. The nest was started with lawn clippings and then lined with dried weeds. I think they used a compost pile like a Home Depot to get all their materials. She is a small brown bird, very shy. She flies away as soon as she sees me or Alice my cat. The location is very secure and safe. I left the blinds open a little and waited. She can be seen sitting in the nest, watching me like a hawk. I'm getting a web cam in a couple days and will set it up above or near the nest.