Li'l JERK!

Los tegoches (the common Oaxacan name) are a type of small spotted wren , Sydney, with their lovely little mottled back feathers in reddish brown and black with creamy white dots; with a dark ‘bandido’ eye-band under a rusty copper-colored head; a plump little body with an ever-insistent “gallo” chest, and found nearly throughout México.

Whatever they’re called here locally, their “song” is UNmistakable anywhere. And as a perennial FAV, it’s an ever-welcome sweeeeeeet audio addition to our general Living Environment with 24/7 enjoyment ..... without the cruelty of cages!! And, by comparison too, tegoches are a fairly “sanitary” little house guest (albeit only when POST-construction clean-up is complete)!

We’ve luckily had ever-sweet tegoches nesting annually around our various homes over the years on very frequent occasion, though never in such a blatantly up-front-n-center / brazenly within-reach “trusting” boldness as are these little guys in our home this year!!

Our maid insists that it is a sign of good luck, sort of a House Blessing, which I hope it is…..

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BUT….. what started-out as a “cute” LITTLE open nest some 14 or so days ago:

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Has now grown into a rather LARGE ‘enclosed compound’ with a bay-facing entry tunnel:

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With construction work continuing still on a now final days “soft finish-cushioning details” basis:

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While the skittish chachalacas look down in ever-bewilderment…. over such fearless (thus rewarding) tegoche Bravado!!

But HEY….. speaking ‘bout the-birds-n-the-bees…. Z area is exploding with Life this morning in the wake of but our first recent rainy sprinkles:

Z Bay is currently dotted with 40+ LARGE patches of fish-a-jumpin; the trees are near-deafening with the annual Cicadas just arriving; the infrequent frigates are out in droves; the wasps are almost blinding as they TOO seek-out a new home spot; the largatillas are “papering the walls” and having a virtual endless buffet with the onslaught of recently emerged moths; the chachalacas are going unusually NUTS this morning; multiple sightings of the rarely seen VIBRANT Red cardinals and bright turquoise-backed Jays; tell-tale signs of tejon visits last night for the first time in weeks; the infrequent black iguanas are visibly 'populating' the adjacent trees as numerous lizard types are scurring 'round The Bush enmasse; and even the MAC Attack is Back, as our resident tarantula has made his reappearance after months of No Shows..... while amid it ALL, the nearby 'colorful carpinteros' are justifiably Keepin The Beat !

Yeah, gotta luv Z rains, as this is definitely Z frickin Dr. Seuss barrio….... ever-thankfully!!