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11:05 a.m. - 2005-07-30 A Wednesday Night Party andthe Bitch Bird It was a beautiful 80 degrees and we popped the lid on our new barbeque grill and threw on a couple of steaks. For 3 weeks Northern Illinoisans had been held prisoner in their air conditioned homes by blistering heat and heavy humidity, so last Wednesday when the temperatures dropped into the mercifully high 70's, every human being in the region was out enjoying the weather. Before heading into the backyard we saw neighbors walking down the street. Some just for the walk, some heading into our next door neighbors yard with wrapped gifts and plates of food. It was about 7PM when we heard a party begin. Across the back yard and down a couple of houses over on the next street, I heard a new baby cry, a harmonica playing a soulful tune and the sound of children screaming with delight as they splashed in a pool. It was idylic. We sat on our new patio set, enjoying our meal (all the while looking up into the trees for another bomb to drop from one of the resident birds), and listened to the pleasant sounds drifting up and over the trees and making their way to our ears. It was like the music of the neighborhood. Then the peace was shattered. An annoying sound was coming from the party yard. "cht cht cht cht cht cht cht" it went on and on so loud that one would swear it was coming from a large tree animal or bird. "That's got to be a squirrel or a blue jay." I said to my husband. "They must be pissed off at the party goers." "Cht Cht Cht...CHT CHT CHT CHT... CHT CHT CHT....CHT CHT CHT CHT CHT CTHThe noise got louder...whatever it was wouldn't take a break. We heard it move from the party yard to a yard somewhere to the back of us and determined at that point that it was some kind of bird."Would somebody kill that thing", I said to Mike. There is a huge tree that leans over our yard. It has a huge branch that hangs down into our yard and suspends itself right over our patio table. An itty bitty teeny tiny bird landed on the tippy tip of that branch and leaned forward looking at us. "CHT CHT CHT CHT"it screamed.We looked at each other and couldn't believe that tiny bird was making such a noise. "What kind of bird is that?" I remarked. "It's a Bitch Bird", Mike replied. All of a sudden we heard that sound coming from a bird house in the party yard, only the noise was not as loud and it sounded like many tinier Bitch Birds. The Momma Bitch Bird leaning over our table flew off toward the bird house. There was an entire nest of Bitch Birds next door. I don't know what kind of bird it really is but is has every other bird and critter in our neighborhood intimidated. We had just finished our dinner when the neighbor came over with a childs birthday party hat on his head and invited us to join his birthday party. I guess everyone got together to surprise him with an impromtu 65th birthday party. It was a great way to meet the other neighbors and a beautiful night to party. I think we are going to like it here....even with the Bitch Bird for a neighbor. P. I. Yarnsmith
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