Friday, July 6, 2012

The beauty of the backyard bird buzz, I get it now


I remember my mom hanging out oodles of hummingbird feeders when I was a kid—in the front window, in the backyard, everywhere.

The little buzzing birds fascinated me for about five seconds and then I was on to something else.

Friends would come over and say, “Oh, look! A hummingbird is at your window, Amy! Wow!”

“Yup,” I would say, wondering why it was even worth mentioning.

I could identify the male and the female—good enough, I thought. Whoopee! Big deal!

To me, hummingbirds weren’t that special because they were always buzzing and tweeting around the deck.

Quite often, they would hover right above us and drink from the feeders as we sat there during the evening hours.

I still wasn’t impressed. Sure, they were neat and I liked to hear mom tell me about them, but hummingbirds and songbirds were boring to me. In fact, any of the birds that congregated around mom’s bird feeder fell into the “not-so-fascinating” category.

I didn’t see the point of watching them—peck and poop, feed and fly.

And then I started feeding birds at my own house last year.

BINGO!

I get it now. I like it and I’m hooked!

I find myself peering out the kitchen window more than a few times a day, checking out the feeders and seeing who has flown in for a visit.

I so was excited to see the Baltimore and Orchard Orioles make their appearance this year. I quickly sliced up an orange and stuck it on a hook for them.

The bird feeder quickly multiplied into bird feeders, along with suet and blocks of seed that the woodpeckers seem to enjoy. It’s more of a “bird feeding station” now.

A few bird houses were also installed around the yard for “my flock.”

Indeed, I now get the fascination of bird watching.

Last year, I was thrilled to see a sweet, little Indigo Bunting just a few times. He hasn’t returned this year, but he certainly was pretty and I am hopeful to see him again.

I had to smile earlier this year when Madeline and I passed the hummingbird feeders at TSC. She marveled at the pretty glass and bright plastic flower spouts.

I let her pick out her favorite one to take home and together, we filled it with sugar water and hung it by the patio door.

And when the day gets cooler and the sun begins to go down, we’re on the deck and the hummingbirds are buzzing. Suddenly, I find myself reciting all of that “bird knowledge” that my mom told me years ago to a wide-eyed little girl. She’s listening and learning about the beauty around us.

Yup, I get it now.

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