BIRD REPORT

My title is sort of orange because that's the color I'm seeing recently in the plumage of the birds who visit my feeders, my yard, and (ahem) my car.

Robins, though they have a reputation for a "red" breast, actually sport a deep orange. This year they've been making inroads into my suet cakes. Yes, really! All I could figure was that we've had too little rain, thus keeping worms underground and out of reach of robins, so the birds have to find protein wherever they can. Suet cakes will do in a pinch. 

--This theory was borne out when we finally got some spring rains, late in April, and robins were once again spied pulling worms out of the ground for their daily feeds.

This year I've started something new--an oriole feeder. I took the easy route--bought a feeder that will fit the screw-top of some grape jelly jars. Found inexpensive jelly, loaded up, hung it on the heavier plant hanger out front, and waited for action. The first thing we noticed was the feeder upside down. Something or someone had tipped it and the weight of the jar did the rest. Never caught the culprit, but we figure it was (1) squirrels, (2) heavier birds, or (3) the wind.

--I vote for squirrels. whenever there's mischief abroad, you'll most likely find a squirrel in charge. We've also noticed, however, that the grape jelly attracts all sorts of littler birds--everybody seems to have a sweet tooth--so to speak. 

--I waited long enough one day to spy the oriole for whom the feeder was installed in the first place. He took long sips, tilted his head back to swallow, then kept it up for several minutes. My daughter in Ohio who has a lot of feeders told me that the orioles also need protein, and they'll eat seeds from the other feeders to round out their diet.

Another new bird for me this year is the grosbeak. Mostly black, white breast (looks almost like a tuxedo), and an orange cravat down the front. (Bird experts call it rosy.) The younger grosbeak wears a small tasteful orange neckerchief. They've both dined at my backyard seed feeder. The lady of the family is in a muted gold gown, definitely not easily identified.

--Don't know if they stay around for the season. I've only seen them one day, but they could visit when I'm occupied in another room without a window on that side of the house.

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I have to confess--I do not like grackles. Sorry if you're tired of hearing about them, but they figure largely in my daily life. If the suet feeders are filled, within two days they'll be empty again, mainly due to grackles. A couple of years ago I watched a platoon of smaller birds drive away a grackle. So I know it can be done.

(In researching for this post, I discovered I may be maligning a different bird. Crows, ravens, grackles, starlings--I'd have to be a more discerning birder to know for sure. I apologize to all who know about these different species, and I suppose I ought to apologize to the species themselves, just to make things right.)

What bothers me about grackles (or whatever) isn't so much their habits--they're just being true to their nature--but what they tell me about myself. I like to think I'm an inclusive sort of person. I try never to exclude someone for a trivial reason. Maybe I don't go out of my way to discover ways to practice diversity . . . but then, I don't go out of my way to find and include a lot of people (of any kind) in my life. 

But grackles! I'm truly sorry, but I cannot openly court them as candidates for the diversity of my backyard bird sanctuary. I can't keep them out--short of enclosing the whole yard and creating an aviary, I must accept them as part of the environment. Apparently my ecosystem requires grackles.

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The lesson in this ramble goes like this: 

--some things cannot be changed without drastic measures

--some things should not be changed, with any measures

--if I'm going to invite birds of all feathers into my life, then I have to let the birds themselves dictate who is and who is not welcome

--but the big lesson is this: Into each life some grackles must fall. 

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Hope your life is full of bluebirds and sunshine and flowering roadsides.

Blessings on you!

Thursday's Child