For The Birds

I’m not going all Audobon on you. But I think I’ve become a bird watcher, to some extent. It started with humming birds. I set up a humming bird feeder in my garden and waited for the action to begin. Nothing. I watched the feeder for a week or so. I was about to give up when I noticed my neighbor had a humming bird feeder, too — and it was getting action. A few days later, I noticed that the hummers were hanging out in my Russian olive tree. In the evenings, they fed at the neighbors and then played in the olive tree. Occasionally, one would hit my feeder in the garden. Then, I began to notice the other birds that were attracted to my bird bath. Fat Robin dominates the activity. When he’s around, the other birds scatter. When he isn’t around, the finches, doves and magpies move in. I call one Finch “Atticus.” The Magpies, who tend to chase off the other birds, too, are: Skipper, Rico, Kowalski and Private. Dunno where I came up with those names. We also have a hawk that sits in the top of a neighbor’s bull pine a morning or two each week. All in all, I’m amazed that I’m interested in the habits of the birds that visit my back yard. It’s relaxing. Who about you?

Question: Do you pay much attention to birds?