While working through a pile of writing assignments, I find myself easily and cheerily distracted by the bird activity just outside my window.
Until recently, I never had a bird feeder and rarely did I stop to watch these feathered creatures being, well um, birds. Now I enjoy noting their personalities and habits. The sparrows are greedy and aggressive, flapping other birds off the feeder, the chickadees are stealthy and energetic, flitting in and out with seeds to hide away for winter, and the cardinals wing their way in, or often come around late in the day (about thirty minutes before dusk) to bulk up before bedtime?
Yesterday, two
downy woodpeckers stopped by for water, a few bugs and sunflower seeds. I wonder where they will settle this winter? From what I’ve read, they look for dead tree trunks into which they excavate their nests.
I assume the
cardinals will stay near here; Belmont is filled with tall evergreens and hedgerows and in the past a pair nested in my hemlocks.
Two
chickadees are nesting in a birdhouse next door, but I’m not sure where the other half dozen who visited today hang out. I hope they will stay in the neighborhood this winter; they certainly have the capacity to withstand the cold, although last year’s winter was pretty brutal.
As for other backyard visitors, the squirrels have grown less annoying, now that months have passed since they ate all my peaches, and I hope the chipmunk is still around, preparing to bed down deep under the lawn for the winter.
Then there are the neighbors' cats. For the sake of my feathery friends, I hope they either pass through my yard or take out a few mice, who tend to find a way into my nearly century-old, porous house at this time of year!
Now back to work on rounding up future meadowmakers and hopefully bird, butterfly, bee, insect and mammal supporters!
