Homebuilding

Just outside my window is a nesting box, to which a pair of sparrows has claimed squatter's rights; several times a day I see them flying back & forth with materials for their nest, but Mr Sparrow can't quite seem to grasp the finer principles of the exercise. I do admire his strength & optimism as he glides into view carrying a twig easily twice his own body length - but I suspect that his choice of material is motivated more by a desire to impress Mrs Sparrow than it is by suitability for the task, & she can see as well as I can that there's just no way he's going to fit through the hole in the box with it: she sits on top of the box loudly berating him as he approaches again & again from every conceivable angle, until finally the twig is either dislodged from his grasp or else he drops it in exasperation, & he scurries empty-beaked into the box, closely followed by a highly verbal Mrs Sparrow - no doubt twittering something along the lines of: "How many times do I have to tell you? Size isn't everything!" She's recently taken to visiting my windowsill, taps on the glass, & once she has my attention, proceeds to warble at me; I suspect she may be singing 'Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves', or some other song of female solidarity.

Anyway, this leaf doesn't look like it'll give Mr Sparrow too much trouble getting through the front door, & should hopefully conform to Mrs Sparrow's high standards.