It’s All About The Birds

Their bright red color is very distinctive in the dead of winter. Red birds (aka Cardinals,) are one of the favorites of avid bird watchers.

The bright red plumage of the male is responsible for the name “red bird.” The females have a brown or greenish-brown plumage which is less unique than the male. Red birds make bird watching exciting.

I talked to a lot of people, after the last snowstorm, that told me they enjoyed watching red birds come to their feeders. In fact, those same people complained that the birds were eating up the feed as quick as they could fill up the feeder. One lady told me that she has a “Trump Tower” of a bird feeder and can’t keep it filled. After this past Texas snowstorm finding bird seed was next to impossible to find. We have made the assumption at our home, that our birds are picky eaters. We tried a different type of bird seed and the birds disappeared. They didn’t like the seed at all. So, we emptied out the feeder and tried a cheaper variety of feed and the birds came back and in full force.

One thing is for sure, bird watching is becoming more and more popular. A friend of mine told me she just purchased a bird station. This is a strong sturdy metal pole with multi hooks for feeders and metal water bowls that can also function as a bird bath. There are solar power bird feeders. They have traditional feeders but the only exception is they have a small light to add lighting to the garden. I’ve seen numerous bird feeders in yards all around Fayette County, window feeders, decorative feeders and squirrel resistant feeders. The squirrel resistant feeders have a rounded dome on top of the feeder that keep the squirrels from being able to get to the bird seed.

Squirrels are notorious for raiding bird feeders. Many of you have probably seen the video of the squirrel spinning round and round the feeder before it finally falls off. That video has been viewed by more than 8 million people. A lady in Florida oiled down her pole so the squirrel could not get to the top where the bird feeder was located. It worked.

My son recently informed me that since they have moved into their new home, he and his family are enjoying the variety of birds that are in his yard. He went to a store that specializes in bird watching and was told by the owner what feed to purchase and what kind of feeder to attract back yard birds. I didn’t know there was such a store. Once again, bird watching is becoming more and more popular.

During the last Texas snowstorm, I was lucky enough to count twelve red birds around my feeder, including females. There’s an old saying that “Cardinals appear when angels are near.” We felt privileged to have so many angels in our yard that morning. It has become a regular routine for my husband and I to peek out the window and count how many red birds are around the feeder or in our yard. I used to think that bird watching was for nerds (A man/woman dressed up in khaki shirt and pants, brimmed hat and with a bird caller in one hand and a set of binoculars in the other hand.) but now I find myself, along with my friends, talking about the variety of birds that come to our feeder. There are numerous books along with the internet, available to help identify back yard birds.

The National Audubon Society is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats. This society gives birds a chance in this ever-changing world.

We have grown accustomed to seeing birds in our yard and love every minute of it. Seeing many red birds is an added treat and we wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.