I’ve had to put a moratorium on bird feeding. It breaks my heart to look out into the backyard and see empty feeders where there once was a nonstop flurry of activity.
Greedy, plump Mourning Doves would eventually run everyone off. It was comical watching them squeeze, sometimes three deep, into the feeders, testing the limits of cedar wood and wire mesh, perfecting their sinful gluttony—only vacating if the dog came charging. Raccoons, chipmunks, rats and mice had taken over the yard, foraging for the crumbs those fat lovable bastards would spill over the sides. The dog became a basket case. I had to shut it down.
The upside to quiet bird feeders is that I have had a chance to focus my attention on other visitors to my backyard: butterflies, frogs, dragonflies, skinks, anoles and beautiful bright green Katydids.
And that rude Mockingbird who claimed his territory earlier this Spring—I’ve watched in awe as he and his mate have raised their fledgling, teaching it how to light effortlessly on the fence, how to take off from the tree just beyond and how to find insects in the grass—every now and then pausing to deposit a fat worm in its gaping little beak...a happy family that has brought me such immense joy.
Nature is God in motion, never ceasing. There is more beauty in this world than we can possibly comprehend. We simply have to shift our focus and observe.
Peace ♥️🪶
