Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

The business where I work has an air conditioning system that has to handle two floors.

The top floor requires constant air conditioning due to heat-producing equipment.

Downstairs is pretty much office space.

A lot of the cooled air upstairs has a tendency to flow downstairs so those offices can be “brisk”.

In the spring and fall of the seasons, wide temperature swings can “confuse” the air conditioning, causing it to overwork and “freeze up”.

That means we have to shut the unit off and let defrost.

Recently that happened and until we could get the AC thawed, we opened a few windows upstairs to move the air a bit.

That afforded the opportunity for a small visitor to fly into the studios.

I was getting ready to do an in-studio interview when a small, brown bird decided to join us.

It fluttered around the studio, pausing briefly on some signs and even an old Rush Limbaugh poster.

My guest and I managed to encourage this feathered friend to land on the window ledge near an open window and I got it to move in front of the open window.

Just when I thought it might fly back into the studio, it quickly turned and flew on his way.

Sparrows can reach speeds of 23 miles per hour in short bursts and I’m sure this bird didn’t spare the gas leaving.

I got a good look at the critter before it left.

It appeared to be an English Sparrow, also known as a “House Sparrow”.

I guess English Sparrows were introduced to Brooklyn, New York 1851-1852 to help control pests.

From what I understand, they’ve become “pests” themselves since they’re fond of grain and seeds.

But they will also pick insects off the grille of your vehicle when hungry so I guess they get credit for vehicle maintenance.

Years ago, we used to put seed in bird feeders but I quit doing that because the birds (mainly sparrows) would kick seed off .the feeders and onto the ground.

Every spring we’d have a “mat” of uneaten bird seed on the ground and it could get several inches thick.

Years ago, we had one of these feeders in a flower garden.

One afternoon I’m watching the TV and I smelled something similar to beer.

Since it was only me and our dog in the room and I wasn’t consuming, I sniffed our pooch and she smelled like she had just downed a six-pack.

Came to find out she was eating the fermented seed on the ground beneath that bird feeder.

Back to my studio visitor.

My tiny guest appeared to be a female sparrow.

She was plain and buffy-brown overall with dingy grey and brown underparts and a back striped in buff, black and brown colors.

The males are still basically brown but they have some black, white and chestnut coloring.;

Males do most of the singing and calling, too.

You’ll hear short and frequent “chirrups”, “tschlips” and “philips” from a warbling sparrow.

They aren’t very big either.

They might be about 6 inches tall, tipping the scales at about an ounce.

Someone asked me if it could’ve a wren.

That would have been nice since a wren visit is often associated with joy, resilience and determination.

Sparrows, meanwhile are symbols of lust, sexual potency, commonness and vulgarity.

Seems like a lot of heavy “stuff” on the shoulders of such a tiny bird.

Makes me wonder why a sparrow wanted to visit us in the first place..

If she was looking for a place to nest, there are lots of nooks and crannies available for her to scrounge up nesting material and lay her 4-5 eggs.

We have lots of “spare room” for a “spar-row”.

And, since radio people aren’t really neat, I’m sure she would have found crumbs around.

Perhaps even a stale donut or two.

Over the years, we’ve sung a few “bird songs”.

“Free Bird”, “Blackbird”, “Rockin’ Robin”, “Fly Like an Eagle”, “When Doves Cry”. “Snowbird”, “Fly Robin Fly”, “When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob Bobbin’ Along” and even the Trashmen with “Surfin’ Bird”.

But my little, feathered friend keeps pretty high company with the hymn, “His Eye is on the Sparrow”.

“His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me”..