TNY weekend reader: a little bird told me….
(image: carolita johnson)
I like David Sedaris, but I have heard from those birds (The Birds), who say yes, there was a window-pecking incident, but nowhere near as escalated as he depicts it. They watched him fill a couple of windows with record albums and terrorist mug shots, and then saw him get down to writing about their so-called “attack” with a bowl of ice cream and the TV on.
“Pure exaggeration, and furthermore, we’re titmice, not chaffinches. Gah.”
When I asked the birds why they were pecking at his window for so long, they said, “We have our reasons, and we don’t need to share them with anyone.” The fact is, they’re just too embarrassed to admit the true reason for their apparently irrational behavior. And they should be. Wouldn’t you?
Needless to say, when you know why they do it, you know why I doubt Sedaris’ story. If the birds were pecking at their own reflection, it means they couldn’t possibly have seen the record albums behind the reflection. If anything, the record albums placed behind the window would produce an even more effective mirror effect. The images would only have had an effect if placed on the outside of the window, eliminating the reflection. Nice try, David.
