THE ROBIN AND THE SPARROW

In the following weeks we will be exploring how these birds helped solve the pine beetle problem.

Said the robin to the sparrow
I would really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.
Said the sparrow to the robin,
I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.

Do you wonder what these two birds might have said or done next, if they were alive today? This eight line poem was written more than a century ago and first published in England, dateline l859. Some records said it was written by an unknown author but the always helpful library assisted in helping determine the real author was found to be Elizabeth Chaney. It seems that human beings are even busier than ever and all with with our computers and other modern conveniences. Let's tune in to find what might have happened if these birds were alive today.

These two birds were busy gossiping about the arrival of many birds from the south and noticed a sudden darkening of the sky.

Together as they chattered,
About what could be done
A dark cloud crept across the sky
And blotted out the sun.

A man whose large home was situated above their nesting area had noticed that Robby Robin was tugging at a long string buried deep in the ground. Sparkie Sparrow, who seemed to be a reporter for the Bird Gazette asked Robbie Robin what he thought about the strange cloud. He paused for a rest and chirped, "It doesn't smell or look like rain. We could use some moisture to soften the ground so I could pull this string out. Mrs. Robin has been wishing for rain to mix the mud to line our nest." Sparkie chirped that he had found a hole in a tree that had been left by a woodpecker from last season and decided to claim it for his own. Robbie thought about local gossip that said sparrows could be pretty aggressive at times but said nothing. Sparkie may have sensed his thought and added. "I'm the early bird who gets the worm and the first here to claim this vacant nest. He's much larger than me and can tap out another hole in a hurry and I'll spar away at him until he leaves." Just then a man came out of his large home above and walked down the stair.