{"id":1487,"date":"2016-01-16T01:59:59","date_gmt":"2016-01-16T01:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1487"},"modified":"2016-01-16T02:06:41","modified_gmt":"2016-01-16T02:06:41","slug":"the-allure-of-backyard-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1487","title":{"rendered":"The Allure of Backyard Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Edie Parnum<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Learn your backyard birds.\u00a0 No, not another onerous duty.\u00a0 Your birds will add joy to your life.<\/p>\n

You probably already recognize the birds at your feeder. To get to know them really well, look intently at them for a few minutes each day.\u00a0 The side view, the one portrayed in your bird guide, is probably familiar.\u00a0 Look, too, when the bird faces you.\u00a0 Stare at its back. Gradually, you\u2019ll distinguish not only the colors and plumage pattern, but also the size and the shape of each species. All those details make up the bird\u2019s uniqueness.<\/p>\n

Each time we can identify a bird, we experience a pleasant spark of pleasure.\u00a0 After all, the name is the beginning of familiarity. Next, we see the bird behaving in its unique way. We find ourselves thinking about it and even talking about it. We might remark, \u201cThe jays are bullies.\u00a0 All the other birds are intimidated.\u201d Observing them, we feel more connected to the birds\u2019 world.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>

An Americn Robin always looks around for predators before probing for worms. Wikimedia photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t just watch through your windows.\u00a0 Go outside.\u00a0 American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird aren\u2019t interested in your feeders. These and other common backyard birds eat insects and berries. Get to know them, too.<\/p>\n

How well do you know a robin? Of course, you know it by its \u201cred\u201d breast, but sometimes you get only a partial view.\u00a0 What color is its bill? The legs? Have you noticed the dark tail with white corner tips? Do you know male and female robins are different?\u00a0 Try recognizing robins flying overhead. The flight is direct, but the wingbeats are uneven, rather erratic.\u00a0 The white of the lower belly and undertail coverts is usually visible.\u00a0 Then notice how it lands on the ground. With its head held high and bill angled up, a robin looks purposeful, even haughty. Next it tips down to probe for worms. \u00a0I could go on with my impressions.\u00a0 And, so could you.<\/p>\n

During the winter we may find only 15 or so species.\u00a0 Even then, something unusual could show up\u2014a Baltimore Oriole visited me one December 25th<\/sup>.\u00a0 In spring or fall we\u2019ll probably see 25 species of birds, perhaps even more during a fall cold front or spring warm front.\u00a0 Some of the migrants may linger for a day or more in your yard.\u00a0 After all, yours is likely the best habitat in the neighborhood\u2014undoubtedly so, if you\u2019ve been growing native plants for a few years.\u00a0 Aren\u2019t the nearby properties with their grass and non-native plants an impoverished landscape?<\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>

We don’t always get the best view. It’s a Pine Siskin, the same size and shape as American Goldfinch, but streaky. Photo \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Occasionally something \u201creally good\u201d will show up.\u00a0 Yes, a special bird like a Blackburnian Warbler could stop and feed in the native trees your yard. (Look it up.\u00a0 This spectacular bird breeds in the northern forests.) \u00a0Oaks, especially, will attract additional eye-catching warblers, among them American Redstart, Black and White Warbler, Chestnut-sided\u00a0Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler\u2014yes, these and many others have come to my yard.\u00a0\u00a0 So, too, have Pileated Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, and so on.\u00a0 With each I wondered where it\u2019s been and where it\u2019s going.\u00a0 I look it up. Each new bird enlarges my understanding of the natural world.<\/p>\n

Mostly we see the regular birds. We see them leading their lives.\u00a0 We see them eating\u2014goldfinches picking seeds out of sweet gum balls, for instance.\u00a0 We might glimpse them mating\u2014yes, you have to be quick to spot it.\u00a0 However, we\u2019ll certainly hear the male<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>

Two Red-bellied Woodpeckers waiting to be fed. Photo \u00a9 Holly Barrett 2015. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

singing to attract a mate and defend his territory.\u00a0 Sometimes we\u2019ll see birds building their nests.\u00a0 For instance, I watched a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers excavate a nest hole and then bring insects to the nestlings.\u00a0 At first the baby birds remained deep inside the nest hole peeping quietly.\u00a0 Later the ravenous youngsters appeared at the nest opening begging loudly.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re observant, we can observe other birds feed their nestlings.\u00a0 I\u2019ve watched House Wrens bring caterpillars and other insects to their young 30 times an hour.\u00a0 They work consistently from dawn to dusk.\u00a0 That\u2019s hard work, and they have to feed themselves, too.\u00a0 We are lucky, our birds carry on their activities of daily life right in our yard.<\/p>\n

Look overhead, too. Watch and learn your birds in flight. Smaller birds fly faster, bigger birds are slower.\u00a0 Think crow (slow, but powerful) versus chickadee (quick and bouncy).\u00a0 You’ll recognize the swift, direct flight of a Cooper\u2019s Hawk coming in for a kill.<\/p>\n

What about hawks?\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019re alluring birds, too.\u00a0 I always thrill to see a hawk in my yard.\u00a0 Usually it\u2019s a Cooper\u2019s Hawk sitting prominently in a tree or shrub. Hungry for its next<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A Red-tailed Hawk eating its prey, a backyard squirrel. Photo \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

meal, it scans the entire yard for any unwary bird.\u00a0 Alert to its presence, most birds have escaped into the thick shrubbery. Perhaps a Blue Jay sounded the alarm. The other less vigilant birds sit exposed but perfectly still, terrified of being spotted.\u00a0 True, I like living birds more than dead ones. However, in defense of hawks, I know that starvation, severe weather, and disease kill more birds.\u00a0 Hawks are not \u201cbad\u201d.\u00a0 Nature is amoral; death and killing play a healthy role.\u00a0 Unsentimentally, I appreciate hawks for their contribution to the web of life.<\/p>\n

Recognizing and watching our familiar birds, we see everyday loveliness. They connect us to the natural world.\u00a0 After all, we planted the native plants that lured them here.\u00a0 Admittedly birds don\u2019t recognize our beneficence. They\u2019re quite indifferent to us. Nevertheless, spending time with them, we acknowledge them as our fellow creatures.\u00a0 The web of life includes us.\u00a0 Shakespeare expressed it well.\u00a0 \u201cOne touch of nature makes the whole world kin.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Get a decent pair of binoculars. For watching birds you\u2019ll need good\u00a0image quality, wide field of view, brightness, light weight, and waterproofness, but not necessarily high magnification. Do some research:<\/span><\/p>\n