Birds of a Feather

geraniums, lawn & fir trees

This morning, while snuggled in my robe and still in a daze, having a normal Saturday morning and just starting on my first cup of espresso, I heard a commotion outside. I peeked out the window onto the porch. The fir trees, the front yard, the bird baths, and even the edge of the porch were covered with robins!

Though a few black-headed Western juncos flitted amongst the larger birds, the yard was just teeming with the plump robins, in every shade of brownish-grey and orange imaginable. I've never seen so many robins! I lost count at around the mid-20s, but it seemed like more, maybe as many as fifty. But there they were, having a good old fashioned field day -- hopping and running, hunting for earthworms and insects. I love it the way they stop, tilt their heads, then quickly stab the ground, gobble something down, and run forward.

A cat must have sneaked up on them, because all of a sudden all the birds retreated to the fir trees. They stayed there quite a while, until the cat lost interest. By then, I had turned my attention to other things and I went about my morning.

A few hours later, I saw them again, mobbing the grass. I keep the front lawn cut tall throughout the year, with all the clippings mulched back into it for natural nutrition. It's rich green grass with no weeds. Despite this summer's unrelenting heat, our front lawn remained lush and green, and a perfect attraction to all sorts of critters. [More about that in a future blog, though.] Now, still thick and inviting, the lawn was "birdland" and I grabbed my camera and tried to get outside quietly to snap a picture of them. I must confess, I am not much of a hunter. Though I thought I was being quiet and unobtrusive as I slowly and silently slid the glass door open and stepped outside to the porch in what I thought was a credible slow motion movement, I didn't get much to show for my sneakiness. None of my photos came out with a bird in it!

They had flown back into the trees bordering the grass. When I tried to take a shot of the trees -- they took off to other trees! [See photo under the title above. Birdless!]

It went on like this for hours -- I'd see them, try to sneak out the door to grab a shot and they'd disappear, only to return later. I finally gave up after one too many rounds of "Watch the Birdie." I want them here -- I sure don't want to scare them off for good!!

I did some research at my favorite bird website from Cornell University and discovered that robins do not migrate long distances. They form flocks and hang around their neighborhoods for most of the year. Check out this page for more fascinating facts.

Lesson learned for today: let the birds do their thing and enjoy them when they visit -- DO NOT force them to pose, because they are not interested in becoming little supermodels for the Sunflower Ranch blog. They aren't shy, they just value their privacy. I understand, really. I'm the same way, I guess. LOL So, look at the photo at the top of this post and imagine you see it alive with birds. That's the best I can do. [At least for today!] If you have had better luck, I admire your abilities!

Thanks for visiting!