A bird in the hand...

is worth an egg on the windowsill?

This weekend, while upstairs cleaning out more of the unfinished room, I happened to look out an unopened window and spotted the following:

It's obvious why they call that lovely shade "Robin's Egg Blue"

Last week, a robin flew into the kitchen window (which is on the same side of the house, but below this attic window). She didn't hit hard like she couldn't see the glass, more like she was trying to land on it. I was surprised, and she must have been more surprised at seeing me. It happened several times over the course of a few days, which was very odd. Now I realize she must have been scouting out a nest spot and settled on the second story ledge with a view.

On another avian note, the chicks are growing and learning. I have been taking them little treats and handling them a few minutes every day so they will associate us with good things. Except they haven't liked the treats I tried. Atomic Cluck loves fruit and tomatoes and bread crumbs and meat scraps and noodles and most anything we give her from the kitchen (except, inexplicably, strawberries). But the chicks weren't interested in any of it. But when Jeff saw their attention on an errant fly that was circling their heads, it gave us an idea. We began swatting insects and dropping them into the cage. Eureka! They devour them. So we were busy killing bugs and hand-feeding the babies yesterday. It only took one or two times before they eagerly awaited the sight of our fingers anywhere around or in the cage. I think Pavlov should have done his experiments with chickens instead of dogs!

Here is one of the chicks checking out Jeff's iPhone camera lens from the safety of my lap. This is our two and a half week old Silver Laced Wyandotte named Cluck Norris (she's very bold and brave and came jumping out of the stacked cages at the feedstore with a roundhouse kick):