Feed The Birds

In my yard I have two bird feeders that I fill with black sunflower seeds and a birdbath that I keep heated in the winter. The is also a non-pear producing pear tree decorated with small berries like Christmas ornaments. This morning when I look out at the yard it was overflowing with bird life. I stood and watched in amazement.

There were two Flickers drinking from the bird bath, five Cedar Waxwings plucking berries from the pear tree, at least 20 sparrows on the ground eating sunflower seeds, a blackbird feeding at one of the bird feeders while two starlings fed at the other one. Also feeding in the tree were more starlings, more sparrows, two female flicker, six robins, and a number of House Finches. On the back wall sat two Blue Jays, heads cocked in examination of all that was going on. Clutching tightly to the branch of a large Cottonwood tree across the alley sat a very fat squirrel nervously watching everything. He is fat because my husband over feeds him and I think he is worried that the birds were going to eat all the sunflower seeds before he gets to them.

The birds were in constant motion moving from tree to feeders to birdbath and back. I have never seen anything like this before. It is like one of them found the food and he or she told another bird, who told another bird,who told another bird until the information spread to every bird in the area. I can hear a symphony of bird titters and cheeps through the closed kitchen window. I watch for as long as I can, knowing that they could be gone in an instant only to show up again later.