Unlike the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, I am delighted that the birds are regularly back in my life. It only took them two hours to find the buffet feeder after the recent snowstorm. Because of bears and abundant seeds sans snow, I waited until I thought the birds needed me.
I love birds. I am no birder, however, and do not aspire to be. I have tried going out with friends who are avid birders, but I lack patience. I enjoy moving quicker than one should when observing birds. I envy people who can hear bird songs and then look for that bird flitting about.
I took a trip to the Amazon Rain Forest years ago. I did not realize what I was travelling with vehement birders. We went to a remote tourism resort in the heart of the rainforest. To get to this wild place we flew, took a motorboat, and then a wooden canoe. My friends thought they were in bird heaven. I enjoyed the trip and the hours we spent in a lookout tower watching for birds. They identified over 70 new birds to put on their life lists. I wrote them down in case I ever decided to keep such a list, which has not happened.
I miss all the birds that lived year-around in North Carolina. My feeder there was always humming with activity. Fewer birds remain during the winter in Rocky Mountain National Park. Several years ago, friends who were birders spent a week at my condo in Estes. I warned them that not many birds would be found in March. I was wrong. With the thank you note they left, they listed 22 different birds that they had seen. I was delighted for them but also felt less expert on birds.
Unfortunately, I am worried about the birds. Statistics suggest that North America has lost more than 1 in 4 birds in the last 50 years. Habitat loss is the greatest threat to birds. According to research, bird populations in almost every habitat are declining. I lament the losses. I continue to advocate for birds and try to help them as I can.
I have set up two wooden stools near the window so that Gitch can watch the birds with me. They usually disaffect him. I watch them with my own solitude and enjoy my daily chores each winter of filling the feeder and making sure the ground feeders have an opportunity to feast on the mixture of sunflower seeds, millet, peanuts, and corn. Feeding the birds is a winter joy that brings me close to nature when I am indoors.
Amen!
I like this post! I LOVE birds- and am worried about them and the environmental and human-caused challenges they face! I try to do what I can to support them in living their best lives… they are little miracles to me with their migratory tendencies, social structures, song patterns, architecture knowledge…. they make my life good!