I'll glance in the backyard several times a day. I spotted a robin a few days ago: a rare sight for winter. I never see much activity in the backyard.
I realized today it's because I never wait for it. It's like I'm glancing at movie stills instead of watching the movie. But today I was working at home and I spent ten minutes looking out the window.
At first I just saw the bird feeder, squirrel nut cage, finch feeder, and the box of peanuts on the ground.
A squirrel jumped down to the cylindrical nut cage and chewed at the nuts behind the chicken wire. I usually would say, "Nasty squirrel," and move on.
But I stayed put, and in two minutes there were three squirrels twined around the nut cage like the three graces, until one twitched a tail and they all made off to the neighbor's yards. They'd gotten the message that the woodpecker was hungry. This giant woodpecker, which Gary says looks like a prehistoric creature, moved like an insect along the tree until it got to the nut cage. It speared a nut and skittered back up the tree.
I lost sight of him because a flock of starlings descended on the tree, paused, folded their wings and plummeted to the ground. No attempt to flap. They all landed on their feet and pecked at the ground debris, except for a few that flapped back up to the feeders.
Then the starlings went after the squirrel's peanuts. The squirrel positioned itself by the corner of the house, came in half way across the yard, gave a chatter, and the birds rose up in concert while the squirrel ran alone across the yard, grabbed a peanut, held it in its teeth and tore back to the house.
After a minute the starlings hailed back down to the ground and it all started over. The squirrel claimed a peanut four times before the starlings gave up. The last time I watched the squirrel dig a hole, drop the final peanut in, and (something I've never seen) it pushed the earth back in to the hole and patted it down (with its rodent claws).
It ran back across the yard and then the yard was empty. I turned away. I thought the show was over. I looked back and there was a crow the size of a tricycle out there.
I think I'm going to go old lady and spend a half-hour each weekend day just watching the birds.
I took down the feeders last summer. I should put them back up - give the cats (and me) something to look at.
Posted by: Becs | January 20, 2012 at 04:34 AM
I love to watch birds. I have a huge, 48x20 screened in back porch. We have 2 rocking chairs back there and that is where we spend most of spring, summer and fall watching the creatures great, small and winged. To me that is the perfect way to spend time.
Posted by: Zayrina | January 20, 2012 at 10:04 AM
I live on a pond and watching the waterbirds and their clear personalities is a family pasttime. I set aside at least a few minutes every day to check in on the sunset- it's always worth a look.
Posted by: elisabeth | January 20, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Becs - something to look at and KILL, do you mean? Surely they'd attack the birds. Or at least want to.
Zayrina - Much better than tv, that's for sure.
Elisabeth - I do know that geese have personalities. At least the INSANE geese do. We encountered a crazy goose once. Kept its head low and attacked whn your back was turned.
Posted by: TheQueen | January 20, 2012 at 10:59 PM