Surprising behaviour of two irate males

There was an irate male flinging himself at the bedroom window last night.  Fortunately he was a robin, not a human, and he was outside not inside. Birds indoors, have never been my favourite things especially flying birds.  I have been known to leap up out of a church pew mid-service to run for the exit swearing as a flying bird swooped through the sanctuary.  Yes I have abandoned husband and young children in my eagerness to leave the premise. I have refused to shop at a particular grocery store where birds were perched in the rafters. Birds indoors have affected me that way as long as I can remember but I have always loved birds outdoors.

In my opinion birds belong outside.  I love watching them outdoors when they land on the feeder and fly past the house.  Their nests are sources of wonder for me.  How do they manage to make those scraps of twigs, straw, and muck stick together so they hold up during a windstorm? I wonder what criteria they use to select just the right fork in the branches to build their nest? I delight in the different songs they sing and admit to some pride in having learned to identify their songs. They are so tiny, yet they can fly so high and so far. Birds outdoors are quite fascinating. But when they are outside trying to attack an imaginary foe reflected in the window they become far less fascinating very quickly.

Nestled in the branches of a birch

A brief bit of research on the Audubon site revealed that the male robin was defending his territory and trying to keep his lady to himself.  Those are admirable traits in a partner.  I may be old fashioned and it might be politically incorrect for some of you out there.  But, I'm okay with a partner who wants to keep me safe and who is prepared to fling himself at the foe on my behalf.  Quite frankly the robin scared the #*& out of me when it flung itself at the window.  Greg sprang into protective mode.  He didn't want the bird to injure itself and he was fully aware that if the nonsense continued I might lose it.  He strode to the window and stood right up close so the reflection the robin was seeing disappeared and in its place the robin saw a human. That did the trick.  All the drama was averted and my hero had come through again. Two irate males of different species had a standoff through the window, both protecting their territory and their partners. What an evening by the swake!