-- "... Every so often it’s a good idea to take a break from our busy lives and sit back and smell the roses — and watch (and listen to) some birds…"
I'd be lost if I wasn't able to do that, considering how the narrow angle of 'climate issue politics' I've inadvertently become something of a specialist in is enough to make my head split some days. How nice it is to have my day begin right before sunrise with the resident mockingbird waking up from roosting in the tree right outside my bedroom window, along with the Finches flock, and letting loose with songs before they go off to 'work.'
Every spring I looked forward to the catbird returning to nest in the lilac outside my mother's old farmhouse. Every morning and evening it would go through its incredibly complex and ever-changing repertoire. Meanwhile at her bird feeders, an equally incredible cast of avian characters in all the colors of the rainbow visited year round, an unimaginable and ever changing source of beauty that brought her great joy. I think it was birds that made me a true believer, because I could never quite figure out how birds of so many colors, shapes, sizes and songs could possibly evolve naturally.
We were just subject to one solid week of spruce budworm spraying up here in the north woods of Maine. We were told by our government the pesticides being used were harmless but necessary. The planes and helicopters went right over the top of my farmhouse just above tree top level and the steady winds out of the west brought the spray back onto my mountain. All of my hummingbirds have since disappeared and there was a mass die off of tadpoles in my pond.
Yesterday a skidder growled its way up the other side of the mountain and a logger is now cutting sugar maples. Used to be logging happened in winter. Now nestlings are destroyed in nesting season when the trees are cut. Used to be there were big farm fields the woodcock displayed over on spring evenings and they nested along the edges, now there are housing developments. If farmers waited just one more week to cut their first hay crop, fledgelings would have time to escape the mowing machines. We may not realize it, but we all need to be connected to the natural world. We need to respect and protect it. We are a part of it, and somewhere deep down inside all of us is the seed God planted that brought all creatures great and small to life.
Droz ==> A man after me' own heart ... writing about birds.
As you know, there is a great deal of alarmism about the changing habitats of birds -- more of these birds here and less of those birds there. Mostly out of Cornell and Audubon.
They almost always ignore that changing land use issues -- as hay fields are abandoned, one starts to see transitions forest starting up, with young trees of the more opportunistic type. These conditions favor some birds, but disfavor others.
Forests allowed to go to wrack and ruin through never being cut and never allowed to burn develop into forests that don't favor any birds...
As the populations of birds shift from place to place due to these habitat/land use changes, there are winners and losers. And that's Nature at her best.
I am a dedicated bird feeder, now that I am back on land and in the same home for more than a few months. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds in 1/4" hardware cloth cage, mixed songbird seed in a squirrel proof feeder, peanuts in the shell in a 1/2" hardware cloth tube (3 ft long), and deer suet provided by my hunting sons. And a hummingbird feeder with perches. Birdsong so loud and for so many hours it can get annoying!
I am sorry that NY State only has one hummingbird species, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. When we visited Oregon a few years ago, there were Anna's, Black-chinned, Calliope, Broad-tailed, Rufous, and Allen's hummingbirds all competing at the same feeders -- quite a sight.
Every year we attract about 20 Purple Martins to our two luxury bird houses on our lake here in southeast Michigan. They are always happy to see us after their 3,000 mile journey from probably South America (or maybe St. Martin). They love to soar, sing their melodic songs, and feed on all the bugs, especially the evil mosquitoes for which we now have virtually none. This morning they are urging me on to row my twenty foot shell across the mirror lake surface. It doesn’t get any better!…Don Runkle
Daphne is 6 miles across the Bay from downtown Mobile. We reside in the midst of a Bird Kingdom that is hard to take for granted. The bird chatter is constant and complex. I can't imagine the energy it takes for any bird to do what birds do every day. And like people, no two birds have the same personality. They are marvels. They help me refresh my perspective.
-- "... Every so often it’s a good idea to take a break from our busy lives and sit back and smell the roses — and watch (and listen to) some birds…"
I'd be lost if I wasn't able to do that, considering how the narrow angle of 'climate issue politics' I've inadvertently become something of a specialist in is enough to make my head split some days. How nice it is to have my day begin right before sunrise with the resident mockingbird waking up from roosting in the tree right outside my bedroom window, along with the Finches flock, and letting loose with songs before they go off to 'work.'
Russell: Glad you are savoring that break...
Every spring I looked forward to the catbird returning to nest in the lilac outside my mother's old farmhouse. Every morning and evening it would go through its incredibly complex and ever-changing repertoire. Meanwhile at her bird feeders, an equally incredible cast of avian characters in all the colors of the rainbow visited year round, an unimaginable and ever changing source of beauty that brought her great joy. I think it was birds that made me a true believer, because I could never quite figure out how birds of so many colors, shapes, sizes and songs could possibly evolve naturally.
We were just subject to one solid week of spruce budworm spraying up here in the north woods of Maine. We were told by our government the pesticides being used were harmless but necessary. The planes and helicopters went right over the top of my farmhouse just above tree top level and the steady winds out of the west brought the spray back onto my mountain. All of my hummingbirds have since disappeared and there was a mass die off of tadpoles in my pond.
Yesterday a skidder growled its way up the other side of the mountain and a logger is now cutting sugar maples. Used to be logging happened in winter. Now nestlings are destroyed in nesting season when the trees are cut. Used to be there were big farm fields the woodcock displayed over on spring evenings and they nested along the edges, now there are housing developments. If farmers waited just one more week to cut their first hay crop, fledgelings would have time to escape the mowing machines. We may not realize it, but we all need to be connected to the natural world. We need to respect and protect it. We are a part of it, and somewhere deep down inside all of us is the seed God planted that brought all creatures great and small to life.
SM: Good points all!
Very interesting. It's great to "stop and smell the roses" to revive our wonder at nature. 👍
Droz ==> A man after me' own heart ... writing about birds.
As you know, there is a great deal of alarmism about the changing habitats of birds -- more of these birds here and less of those birds there. Mostly out of Cornell and Audubon.
They almost always ignore that changing land use issues -- as hay fields are abandoned, one starts to see transitions forest starting up, with young trees of the more opportunistic type. These conditions favor some birds, but disfavor others.
Forests allowed to go to wrack and ruin through never being cut and never allowed to burn develop into forests that don't favor any birds...
As the populations of birds shift from place to place due to these habitat/land use changes, there are winners and losers. And that's Nature at her best.
I am a dedicated bird feeder, now that I am back on land and in the same home for more than a few months. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds in 1/4" hardware cloth cage, mixed songbird seed in a squirrel proof feeder, peanuts in the shell in a 1/2" hardware cloth tube (3 ft long), and deer suet provided by my hunting sons. And a hummingbird feeder with perches. Birdsong so loud and for so many hours it can get annoying!
I am sorry that NY State only has one hummingbird species, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. When we visited Oregon a few years ago, there were Anna's, Black-chinned, Calliope, Broad-tailed, Rufous, and Allen's hummingbirds all competing at the same feeders -- quite a sight.
I like birds.
Arden: Good that you like birds. Enjoy my commentary!
My favorite birds in the entire World are mockingbirds. Super intelligent and with feelings. The "policemen" of the neighborhood.
Scott: I hadn't thought of them being policemen but that's an interesting idea.
John…nice article on birds.
Every year we attract about 20 Purple Martins to our two luxury bird houses on our lake here in southeast Michigan. They are always happy to see us after their 3,000 mile journey from probably South America (or maybe St. Martin). They love to soar, sing their melodic songs, and feed on all the bugs, especially the evil mosquitoes for which we now have virtually none. This morning they are urging me on to row my twenty foot shell across the mirror lake surface. It doesn’t get any better!…Don Runkle
Don: Yes purple martins are good insect killers. Not sure how they were uging you to row...
Thanks, John...
Daphne is 6 miles across the Bay from downtown Mobile. We reside in the midst of a Bird Kingdom that is hard to take for granted. The bird chatter is constant and complex. I can't imagine the energy it takes for any bird to do what birds do every day. And like people, no two birds have the same personality. They are marvels. They help me refresh my perspective.
Semper Fi,
Jud Blakely
Jud: Yes this piece was about taking a periodic review of perspective...