Spring is for the birds — literally. And if I ever wondered just how I’ll begin to fill my “empty nest” years, I now know the answer. I’ll be sitting with my husband in our living room, where we have a perfect view out the French sliders of our backyard bird feeder and the variety of feathered friends it attracts.
The feeder is a new accessory, acquired a couple weeks ago. It’s a pole system with attachments for four different feeders. The first to go up was an old-fashioned wooden feeder, the kind that looks almost like a little house, with a section in the middle where the seeds are stored and fall out into a bottom tray for bird access.
Bird activity was slow at first, but is definitely picking up. We’ve read and been told that it will take several weeks for the birds to come in earnest. But that didn’t help our initial impatience. We wanted to see birds right away!
So in our enthusiasm, we’ve added a second feeder, a wire tube that attaches to the top of the pole and holds shelled peanuts. It’s supposed to attract different species than the other feeder, like woodpeckers. So far we haven’t seen more than a couple of birds show an interest in that one, but again, patience is key.
We’re thinking of buying a birdbath — and also adding a finch feeder and maybe a feeder that attracts hummingbirds.
Who knew these real nest-builders would contribute to filling my own nest as it heads toward empty?
