A month or so back, I put out a new birdfeeder with seeds I had decided on after doing a quick Google search. Then, for a week, I waited. And waited. No birds came.
Maybe I should move the feeder somewhere else, maybe they are not coming because the cat goes by here often, I told my husband. Be patient, he said. Let it be. They will come.
And because he usually gives me good advice and shows me how simply waiting can be helpful, I let the feeder be.
A day or two later, I thought I should also try something else, and change things up. The article that had alerted me to cats had also given another suggestion. So, I scattered some birdseed on the pathway that led up to the feeder.
And what have you! It was like magic. The next day, the birds came.
And not only did they come, but it seemed as if the news of the feeder had spread through the bird grapevine. Just the previous day, I had been feeling worried that not even one bird would show up. Now, it was a veritable jungle in the trees outside my window.
There was chirp-chirp and what looked like a little red ball festooned in one still-green tree and more birds than I could count threading in and out from the tree that looked like an upside down calligraphy pen, stripped of its leaves but swishing gracefully.
Nowadays, when things are at their height, there are 30-40 birds around, flying to peck seeds at the feeder and then flying away to safety. The trees I thought were barren are now full of birdsong. And all it took was ten days.
I have felt sparks of delight as birds of new species have shown. Some days, I have been worried that I won’t be able to keep this up or that the birds are making such a mess that one of my neighbors will say something. After they eat the black sunflower seeds, they leave the white-inside husks scattered all around. And they poop!
Which is not something I had thought a lot about when I had my mildly-Disneyesque fantasy of feeding birds. And some of them fight each other. Some of the bigger ones are little bullies who edge other birds out.
The funny thing is that the poor cat I was so worried about seems to have gotten completely frazzled by them. Soon after the birds came, she walked past our home, paused for a second and looked around. It seemed to dawn on her that something had changed. After that, she hasn’t been walking past at her usual time. I think she might have relocated to another shady spot nearby.
As the sparrows, the finches and the chickadees gather around, I tell myself that I need to remember this, that what feels & looks lifeless one moment can start thrumming with energy the very next, to not believe what my mind tells me all the time, and to put all kinds of birdseed out into the world, so the thing that is looking for it will come calling.
Want to get started with feeding birds?
This Black Oil Sunflower birdseed attracts a wide variety of birds (Get it from your local store for a better price). If you have a balcony or porch with a railing, you can get a Shepherd’s Hook to hang up your feeder without needing to make any holes. And if you’re in a place where it rains, you can also get a Baffle for your birdfeeder or even get a birdfeeder that has a baffle attached.
I referred to this piece on 25 Reasons why Birds Aren’t Coming to Your Feeder.
To learn more, The Cornell Lab’s All About Birds is a great online guide for birds and birdwatching. They also have an app called Merlin that can help you identify the birds you see or hear (check for your region – it doesn’t cover the entire world). But even if your region is not specifically covered, they have some great learning resources you can dip into.
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