It's not fair...

...according to Skip at least.  Two weeks ago he came into the house and announced (with much emotion) that it just isn't fair that birds can fly and people can't. 

You see my son is obsessed with critters, and currently focused on birds. He spots one, goes into his wildlife encyclopedia and researches it.  He spends hours watching the goings on of one mommya robin who recently hatched several babies in a nest just outside the bathroom window. It keeps his occupied and he's learning all about nature.  

Then a few days later he was visiting with our next door neighbor who told him that when he was a boy, he caught a bird using a wooden crate, a stick, some bird seed and a string.  He bugged Mike for the whole next day, until his father finally relented and found him a clear storage bin, some string, and just the right size stick.

He enlisted the help of his brother to help assemble the trap.

He and his brother positioned it to their liking and then spent the remainder of the day "hiding" out, waiting for an unsuspecting victim.... 

They took turns being the lookout...

A mother's view of the "stakeout" from the deck above...



 They never did catch that bird and eventually gave up on the idea.

But, its not the end of the story. He didn't give up on catching a bird, he just re-examined his options.

Now, most mornings, right after he crawls outta bed, he hurries outside in his (generally) mismatched pajamas, grabs one of his nets, and scouts around the backyard for one. 

He stays outside until I call him in for breakfast, then reluctantly returns. So far, he returns with an empty net, but always with the same impish grin.