Month: February 2021

My at-home workspace during these times of COVID sits right next to a floor-to-ceiling, wall to wall window that looks out over a wooded ravine at the back of our house. Early on during my time here, I would occasionally look out the window at the birds that would gather on the concrete pad outside the window. It brought me great joy to see them outside going about the birdly business. After showing her a video of some of their more captivating antics, Ms. Boss decided to lean into that notion and bought three bird feeders to place right outside the window for my recent fiftieth birthday. While my productivity has gone down slightly, my enjoyment of my home office has grown tremendously. I truly appreciate her thoughtfulness in doing so.

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If I have to name my favorite bird in my very short time of being an amateur birder, I’m going to have to go with the tufted-titmouse. I have several honorable mentions – the beautiful blue jay, the cute black-capped chickadee (Ms. Boss’ favorite), and the fashionable red-headed woodpecker – but the tufted-titmouse is the one that brings me the most joy. Why? Well, for starters, they visit my little bird cafe the most. Swooping down from the higher branches, grabbing what the need, then flying off – there’s a great likelihood that I will see one anytime I look up. Second, they’re not afraid of the window. They’ve been as close as a couple feet away from me on the opposite side of the window looking for tasty morsels giving me the opportunity to see them up close. Third, they’re just plain cute. While their feathers are a drab combination of gray and while with a little brown, their actions are quite endearing to me. It makes me smile to see them land somewhere and cock their head with what seems like the perpetual look of “what’s going on here?”. They pretty much are you plain Jane, everyday, hard-working bird and it brings me great joy to watch them.

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Nature provides other entertainments in my back yard. As one would expected in a wooded lot in this part of the world, my backyard contains more than its fair share of squirrels. To say that these guys are well-fed is a gross understatement. To be fair, however, they ‘exercise’ on the branches in the back yard all the time. Running up this trunk, jumping from tree, running across the flat roof of my house – they are almost as entertaining as the birds. To be honest, I thought my new bird feeders would turn out to feed them more than the birds despite the description on the package of ‘squirrel-proof’. They have not to date, however, been successful in their quest to help themselves. It isn’t for a lack of trying. Just yesterday, I saw one of them climb up a nearby tree to the height of the feeder and stare and scheme and scheme and stare…

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In spite of the fact that I live in a subdivision, you can find a deer in my backyard just about every day, typically in the morning. They generally run in packs of three does or a doe and her offspring, but can number as many as six as they make their way through the back yard. It can almost look like a parade at times. On occasion, a solitary buck will make his way through. Only once have I seen a buck and doe together. Just two months ago, I watched the age-old dance of courting play itself out in my back yard as the buck followed the doe back and forth then back again the doe moving slower every trip. With any luck, we’ll see their spotted offspring moving through the yard next summer.

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The sounds entertain almost as much as the sites. As I site her and write this, I hear a bird – possibly one of my titmouses – singing in the winter sun. While they never come down to visit, at least one red-tailed hawk is patrolling the area this morning made plane by his screeching call. I hear a woodpecker furtively seeking breakfast from a tree nearby… which is better than when he searches for it in my house siding. While I’ve only seen one in my backyard once, you can hear mourning doves almost any day you want. It really is a symphony, but sometimes you just need to slow down and hear it.