May 24: Peaceful sparrow

Occasionally a song sparrow visits my office bird feeder. I looked up from my desk this afternoon to see one just standing there for several minutes. He'd pick up a seed now and then, but eating didn't seem to be the focus. For long seconds he would look through the window as if checking out the office. Then he'd spend several more moments looking toward a stand of birches. He didn't grab a seed and run like the titmice and chickadees do, or twitter and fidget like the wary goldfinches. The sun was shining on his back, and I imagined that sitting in a feeder full of seed on a warm day with no predators visible must be a bird's idea of heaven.

All the sparrow needs:
seeds, sunshine, safe nest, a mate.
And what else is there?