Birds

As I sit here looking out my window this morning, I see so many beautiful birds flying to my bird feeder. Many people don't feed the birds in the summer because they feel there is plenty of food for the birds. I feed the beautiful creatures all year long. Some of the birds that are here in the warmer months are different than the ones that are here in the cooler months. Besides, they come to depend upon the food being there for them and they bring such joy to me! In past years, I have even seen a red tail hawk come to a bird feeder. I am not sure if he was feeding on the seed or looking for prey. Whatever the case was, it was a wonderful surprise for me to see the beautiful bird up close and to hear his cry right outside my window. Wood peckers will also come to my feeder on occasion and that also delights me! I don't even mind the squirrels and the rabbits that feed off the bird seed. They must eat as well and they too bring me joy to watch.

I am an avid backyard bird watcher. I have noticed that each "set" of birds have a particular pattern of coming and going to the bird feeder. They are each there at a different time of the day. The mourning doves seem to come by twice a day, morning and evening, to feed. All of the others are either there either in the morning or the evening, but I have not yet noticed any other birds that come by more than once a day to feed.

My father got a lot of joy out of feeding the hummingbirds. He was fascinated by them. When he lived here, he had quite a few of the swift little creatures that fed from his feeder. I have not yet put up a hummingbird feeder, but I will next spring. Dad never would feed the other birds, just the hummingbirds. He didn't like all the extra birds being drawn into the yard and using the bathroom on his vehicles. :-)

The only problem with the birds that I have is the fact that the blackbirds come in a pull up our garden plants. These little monsters ate every single shoot of corn that was coming up this spring. Oh well, guess we will buy corn to put up from another local person this year. Next year, we will build a scarecrow!