It being spring and all, I've been meaning to blog about birds for days now.

It probably started early this week (the urge to blog about birds, that is, not birds themselves - they started eons ago). Two blue jays decided to build their nest in a tree right outside my office window. There are no branches between their nest and my window, so I can see them clearly - it's almost like an avian ant farm.

They weaved the nest out of the usual twigs and grass and things, and the male would sit back and watch as the female would set herself in it and swish herself around a little bit, trying the nest on for comfort. Then, they'd make some adjustments, and she'd jump back in, obviously forming the nest for her comfort for the long task ahead of laying and setting on her eggs.

But the geese have the lead on her. Two Canadian geese have also made their annual appearance at my office building, their third by my counting, and are starting their third family there.

My office building is a little over-landscaped for a modest six-story business center. Although it's your standard glass-and-steel corporate cube, it's surrounded by two ponds, a fountain, a fake waterfall and even a little (20-yard) whitewater river. Totally superfluous,and probably a squandering of water resources if I thought about it.

But anyway, it fools the geese. For the third year, they've landed here on their Mexico-to-Canada winged migration, and have once again chosen a faux island in one of the ponds to lay their eggs. I suppose the female feels safe out there surrounded by water where raccoons and opossums and, most importantly people, can't bother her.

So she's been sitting out on her island for a few weeks now, almost as if in a trance (hibernating?). I haven't seen her leave once, and she just sits there staring into space. Very Zen.

Her mate hangs around the lower pond, biding his time, like an expecting father in a maternity ward. The other day, as I was driving back from lunch, he was waddling down the middle of the sidewalk, just minding his own business, like some executive off to Starbucks for his morning latte.

Silly goose.

Anyway, I expect their chicks any day now. Last year, they paraded them all over the parking lot, Mom in front, Dad in back, seemingly proud to show off their brood.

So they're old pros at this, and I don't worry for them like I do the jays. Today, they fought off a curious squirrel, twice, all shrieks and pecks and flapping wings. I worry the squirrel might come back for mischief after the eggs are lain. I worry about other birds robbing their nest, and snakes, etc. But if all goes well, I guess Momma Jay will soon set down and lay her eggs, incubating them with her warmth, and afterwards I'll get to watch them feed their chicks, then teach them how to fly.

I'll keep you posted on how things progress.