Apr
21
2009
Just Before The Sun Comes Up
Author: siggyThe sky is dimly lit just before the dawn. The birds are in song in full crescendo. I am wondering when I will see the first chickadees, tufted titmouse and downy woodpeckers come to my feeders.
I am thinking about that Carolina wren that built a nest in the large pansy pot hanging from my garage door. Yesterday before it became light I shined a flashlight into the nest–flushing the poor frightened bird who high tailed it for parts unknown–and peered into the nest spotting three tiny speckled eggs. My wife reprimanded me for scaring the bird. I will leave her alone now. I want the mother to successfully raise its young and I do not want to scare it out of its wits further, possibly abandoning her eggs.
Two years in a row (the last two) an eastern phoebe built a nest just outside our front door on top of the right lamp but I guess there was too much traffic in and out the house so it abandoned the nest and raised its young somewhere else.
This year a pair of robins have built a nest in the right corner in the gigantic bush. At least twice I looked inside it but I could not spot the nest. A few times when I walked nearby I flushed one of them. Two robins keep feeding under our large pine tree which is somewhat unusual. Several time I saw a robin extract a worm from the earth, toss it above its head, then gobble it down.
I love to observe the natural world around me especially the birds that come to our four feeders. I am expectantly waiting for the first hummingbirds to come to our two feeders I have set up for them. One is hanging from the pine tree mentioned and the other is hanging close to the window.
According to my bird journal I have kept for over five years the first one usually appears the end of April. It is the twenty-second of April so my eyes have been continually sweeping the area outside our large living room window. It was over a month ago the local nature columnist reported someone spotted one passing the Mason Dixon line and they would be here any day. I put out nectar immediately after that announcement. Well I am still waiting to spot one and already had to replace the nectar I set up and clean the feeder immediately after I noticed black mold in the feeder. I guess they must have turned around or taken an extended stay along the way.
Watching birds give me such pleasure. The money I spend on feed for them is worth every cent. I love observing their antics: they are all different. This has been a lifetime hobby.
