@nelinoeva always has awesome themes for her weekly photo contest in the Feathered Friends Community, and I am always excited to go out and take pictures for my entry. This week's theme, Bird House, had me stumped, however. In my neighborhood I rarely see bird houses. This is probably because most of them are in people's backyards where I can't see them, but another part of the reason is likely this awesome program that rewards homeowners for landscaping their yards into a natural wildlife habitat for birds, insects, and other animals native to the region, so no birdhouses are needed.
Click here for a link to image source with article on the program.
I looked through some old photos and found this picture of a bird house in Vermont, but I didn't want to have a one-picture entry.
Then I thought, wait! Portland may not have a lot of wild bird houses, but this city LOVES its chickens.
So I headed over to the nearby elementary school (which is also an environmental school) where they have a chicken coop.
Official #smap Entry!⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
It's really hot and dry right now, so the coop isn't looking as cute as it normally does. The chickens are hiding inside in the shade to keep cool, and parts of the coop have been covered by cardboard to create even more shade.
Still you can see what a lovely house the school built for their beloved chickens.
It has a very nice yard for them to peck and scratch in when they feel like coming out. The yard didn't look very pretty when I went out to take pictures on this super hot day, but I do have another picture I took a couple months ago that just so happens to have a baby crow in it:
Crows make calls to alert the chickens of predators, and even chase off aerial predators like hawks, so the school is happy to let the local family raise their babies in their chickens' yard. They even keep some water out on the rooftop for the crows.
As you can see, they also have signs up on the coop sharing the names and stories about the chickens (all hens).
I remember the day Lacey joined the family. I was walking my dog past the coop and we stopped to look at the chickens (he loooooves visiting them). I noticed there was a new chicken. Someone was in the yard, so I asked who she was. Turned out she had appeared in the coop overnight, and they had no idea where she came from.
I've heard of people leaving pets on the doorsteps of veterinary offices and boarding kennels, but this is the first time I've ever heard of someone doing this with a chicken. While irresponsible, at least the hen-dumper made a good choice, and Lacey is happy in her new home.
I have pictures of a few of the residents of this lovely house. This is Pom-Pom, in the early morning light. She is black, but has rainbow iridescence.
I also have some pictures of Gronk and Minnie that I took in late winter (before Lacey arrived), when they decided to "escape" the yard. They do this sometimes, but they never go far. On this day they were just standing on top of the portion of the coop that extends beyond the fenced area.
Minnie is very pretty.
On the hot, yucky day this week when I was getting pictures of the coop, I noticed Yellow Jacket in the shadows watching me. I tried really hard to get a picture of her behind the chicken wire, but it came out pretty awful. Still, it was nice that she said hi.
I hope you've enjoyed this post! You still have the rest of the day if you want to enter the contest (link here). It happens every week in Feathered Friends!