Halfway to Hatching
Today is a celebration for Gertrude and Walter. Eight full nights on the eggs. Halfway to turning a pair into a family of six! What began as a typical morning, Gertrude settled over their four golden eggs and Walter delivering breakfast, turned, for a few tense moments, into something very different.
The Unwanted Intruder
Not a chance!
From the camera, you first catch only a vague shape through the leaves of the fern climbing the porch railing, while Gertrude glances around in her usual, unhurried way. Then the camera blacks out. When the image returns, that shape has climbed higher on the railing and is clearly searching for a path to the Green Fern Penthouse. Threaded between the fern leaves, you can finally make out what is creeping toward Gertrude and the eggs: the local squirrel.
Gertrude’s gaze tracks in its direction, but the squirrel still hasn’t quite reached the nest. It’s only when the squirrel grabs onto the fern itself that everything changes. In an instant, Gertrude turns, lunges forward, spreads her wings, and dives at the intruder, unleashing an alarm call that cuts right through the quiet. The camera can’t show exactly what happens in that split second, but the squirrel’s response is unmistakable: a rapid, eight-foot descent down the porch railing, while Gertrude’s sharp, scolding call continues to chase it away.
Suspect: “Nutty”
Nutty is the kind of local squirrel who treats every balcony like part of his personal snack patrol. Twitchy, nosy, and just a bit too bold. He scampers along railings like a tiny acrobat on a secret mission. He doesn’t set out to cause trouble, but wherever Nutty goes, a little chaos, and a lot of chatter usually follows.
Science Note:
House finches are primarily preyed upon by domestic cats, avian raptors such as Cooper’s Hawks, and small to medium-sized mammals including squirrels and raccoons. Because they build open cup-shaped nests in shrubs, trees, or even hanging flower baskets, their eggs and chicks can also be vulnerable to larger birds like jays and crows that raid nests for food. Living in neighborhoods and cities gives house finches access to bird feeders and safe nesting spots, but it also brings them closer to human-related dangers such as window strikes and outdoor pets. Their alert behavior, flocking, and frequent soft calls help them warn each other of nearby threats and increase their chances of survival.
Back On Duty
The danger has passed.
Gertrude returned to the nest just six minutes later, as if she had only stepped out to file a report on the morning’s drama with Walter and to confirm where the local squirrel had disappeared to. When she cam back, she slipped straight into her familiar routine – snuggling down into the cup of the nest, doing her small, precise wiggle to settle each egg, and making sure her four little ones were warm and safely tucked beneath her wings.
Gertrude’s Well-Earned Lunch
Walter arrives a few minutes later with lunch, and what a lunch it must be. It feels like a fitting reward for Gertrude, who has just been such a devoted mother, fiercely protecting their little treasures from becoming someone else’s lunch. As she tucks back onto the eggs, all seems calm again in the Green Fern Penthouse. Hopefully tomorrow will bring its cozy, everyday rhythm again with a few less surprises.
Lunch for the nest hero
