Most summer mornings you will find me sitting outside of Top Pot in the shade of massive maple trees, tapping at my computer with a cup of steaming coffee by my side. This idyllic patch of sidewalk is my favorite summer office space. Of late, however, my office has been invaded by the smallest beggars on the hill, house sparrows. These little birds are far more aggressive than the average Broadway panhandler, and seem to suffer delusions that they are much larger than they really are. Just this morning, in fact, I watched a little brown sparrow try and drag away a bag containing a cruller that must have outweighed the bird four to one. Later one of the little birds perched atop my laptop screen and chirped at me inquisitively, asking perhaps, “can you spare a few crumbs for a bird fallen upon hard times?”
I sometimes wonder if these creatures’ adaptation to city life and human food has been bad for their species. Has the transition from a diet of grubs and butterflies to one of donuts and muffins shortened their lifespan? Will there be an epidemic of small bird coronaries? Avian diabetes? Will we see sparrows suddenly seizing and falling out of trees, or is this high-sugar, high-calorie food good for these little beggars’ survival?
Well, I guess there is little I can do about it. I’ll just count my blessings – at least those fat pigeons don’t try and perch on my laptop.
Yesterday afternoon, I witnessed a Top Pot patron getting ‘harassed’ by a pigeon.
I’ve heard all those birds are from Bellevue and Kirkland and just come over here to beg because it’s cool.
You may find this interesting. Here is a video from TED.com (Technology, Entertainment, Design) about how some animals are adapting to city life. Specifically, its about the intelligence needed to do so, and how crows are thriving.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intel
Cool video! Thanks for including. I found the idea of training crows to take on useful tasks really fascinating. Though if someone can train them to do good, could someone also train an army of crows to do evil?
Who thinks its a bad idea to feed these little critters. They are dirty and I don’t want their germs on my doughnut. Some places have “Don’t Feed the Bird” signs. Would that be too suburban?
The creatures’ adaptation to city life and human food has been all too good for their species. The species in question is almost certainly the House Sparrow — a European import / invasive species which is out-competing native species (kicking local birds out of nesting sites, etc.). You’ll see this species everywhere humans are but only very rarely in any kind of “natural” environment.