October 22

As fall approaches and the birds have had all summer to fatten up, these fat little birds -- house sparrows, perhaps? -- are all over Boston. They're a little comical to watch, as they hop around the ground looking for bits and bobs to snack on. They look so rotund that they shouldn't be able to get airborne. It makes sense that they fatten up for their journey south, I suppose. It's a long flight and they burn a lot of calories.

Last summer, a family of house sparrows took up residence in our front porch light. I was a little concerned that the eggs might be hard boiled, but the light acted more like an incubator than oven coil. My landladies moved them, nest and all, to a purpose-built little box high up on the corner of the porch, as they worried that the naked bulb might set the nest on fire.

I know, intellectually, that house sparrows are an invasive species in North America, and that they smash eggs and steal nests from other birds. Still, after the little family shared our home last summer, I feel some affection for the little pests.

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April 14

For most of the year, our house is home to two families. In the spring and the summer, though, it gets a little more crowded when the house sparrows come out. We usually end up with a nest in the window by our air conditioner upstairs (this drives Pretty Boy crazy), but now they're establishing a new tradition of building a nest in our porch light.

Alas, getting a good photo of a porch light with a half-built nest isn't as easy as it might seem. It's just not that interesting. So you're going to have to settle for this photo of a happy couple of birds hanging out on the tree in the front yard.

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