9:30 a.m.
58 degrees Fahrenheit
Feels like 58 degrees Fahrenheit!
Andre’s birthday was on Friday. Among the gifts he received from me, he got The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America,
a No/No Forest Green Original Bird Feeder with Roof Extension, and a 10
pound bag of black oil sunflower seeds. I admit these are gifts we can
both enjoy. But all the better, right? So, after he opened his gifts (I
spoiled him a bit this year, since next year we’re sure to be focused on
“Baby” Lee’s first birthday) and the family room was satisfyingly
littered with crumpled up out-of-date maps (my signature wrapping paper)
and discarded paper and plastic packaging (a worry and rant I’ll save
for another post), we headed outside with the feeder and the seed. I
chose this particular bird feeder since it’s supposed to be ideal for
black oil sunflower seeds (the most universal of birdseed), for
all-weather, for songbirds, and will supposedly confound the squirrels.
We hiked halfway up our backyard to the topmost hanging post, filled the
feeder and hung it up. We admired our handiwork for a few minutes,
while soaking up the last of the evening sun that was warming the
backyard. Then we headed back inside, figuring it would take a little
while (hours? days?) for the birds to discover the new feeder.
We hiked halfway up our backyard to the topmost hanging post, filled the
feeder and hung it up. We admired our handiwork for a few minutes,
while soaking up the last of the evening sun that was warming the
backyard. Then we headed back inside, figuring it would take a little
while (hours? days?) for the birds to discover the new feeder. 
On
Saturday morning, I looked outside to see a squirrel munching on the
sunflower seeds we had inadvertently dropped on the steps when filling
the feeder. I know that they can be a pest, but it was really fun
watching the squirrel use its little hands to pick up each individual
seed and munch on it. I also spotted a mourning dove (a.k.a. turtle
dove) not far from the squirrel. I would have just called it a pigeon,
but that was before I had the Sibley Field Guide to Birds in tow. Another bird even I knew, a robin, was poking around the yard but didn’t seem interested in the feeder.
Today, there are even more birds! In addition to the squirrels, robins, and mourning doves, there is a blue jay flapping in and out of the evergreen tree, squawking and chattering away. It is actually a little intimidating. I don’t think it likes me or the other birds existing. There are little birds of all sorts flitting about on the feeder. I’m not sure what type of birds they all are.
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| Tallulah can only watch from afar |
Yay we're all writing about Spring! This is so cute. I can most certainly envision you watching the little squirrels munch on the birdseeds in your Swissvale backyard. See, now the birds also can be a new part of your new little family! :)
ReplyDeleteThey seem to like it there, so will Baby Lee.
"Even the crocuses seem to blooming brighter. It finally feels like spring, it’s even threatening to rain." Well said, lady, well said. But, Amy Lee, you know, it's always threatening to rain. But maybe it's the excitement of a spring time kind of rain that's getting to us now. Enjoy it!
I loved your post about all of the birds you are seeing in your back yard. I feel the same way, seeing all of this new life come out in the warm weather: really excited and a little confused as to what all the birds are. I might have to look into one of those feeders, too. I'm glad they make squirrel proof ones now since they can drive the birds away. And you should be careful of the blue jays. They're known to be territorial and a bit feisty (one of them in my own back yard keeps attacking the window thinking it's another jay trying to infiltrate his territory). I hope that you get a lot of enjoyment out of your feeder and I can't wait to see more pictures (if the birds would just hold still! Haha). Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love this time of the semester, reading everyone excitedly posting about the end of winter :-) I also enjoyed reading about your excitement over attracting birds to your yard. Every time our feeder goes empty and I don't get to refilling it for a few days, when I finally do and the frenzied activity returns, I realize how much I enjoy having their presence. That black sunflower will get expensive though. You maybe want to move to a mix that includes it. It's definitely the favored seed and I think you'll be surprised how quickly the birds will empty that thing!
ReplyDelete