People wonder about the stumps in my front and back yards. I just dug two more in the back. They are simply a luxury I installed for the birds.
Bugs and worms will thrive under them, as the soil fungus begins its attack of the bottom of the stump.
The main attraction is the watch-tower they provide for bug-hunting. I see birds using the stumps all day long, always leaving their marks. The stumps are also handy for filling rose vases.
Birds also love to perch in safe places. In the bird-feeding area, I pour rainwater on three living perches. Two are Butterfly Bushes. One is a Pokeweed. Bushes are also landing zones for insects, so they feeders as well. The bushes provide shade for us, since they are between our house and the baking, setting sun.
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| Norma Boeckler's Bluebird |
Sunset provides a lively animation each evening. The shadows of birds on their swing play upon the wall behind my computer. I constructed two swings for two windows where feeders are hanging. Each swing consists of a six feet of metal rod hanging from small chains on each end.
Birds move from the bushes to the feeders to the swing - all day long. They are noisy eaters, chattering happily about their food, so they attract other birds. Rosecrested Grosbeaks joined the happy throng recently:
- Grackles
- Cardinals
- Starlings
- Common Finches
- Goldfinches
- Chickadees
- Mourning Doves
- Woodpeckers
Food, Shelter, and Water
Most of the food we provide is natural, from the mulched areas to the various plants and stumps that host insects or grubs.
The shelter comes from various bushes, trees, and vines. One bird nests in the vines hanging on our porch. The vines cover half of the picture window in front - our self-cleaning, redneck curtain.
I keep a lot of baths full of fresh water. In fact, I moved one away from the house and among the other baths. As soon as I filled it, a robin landed on the edge and began its bath, watching me warily.
God made birds to be extremely careful of anything new. If they were as sociable as puppies, there would be no birds left.
Those who first begin to feed birds are disappointed about the deserted food. Birds may wait several weeks before they eat from a new source. Their habits also work in our favor. Once trust is established, birds carry out their daily tasks a few feet away from us.
Most of God's Creation is hidden from us, partly by our failure to notice, but also by protective cover. As often mentioned before, no one realized the enormous influence of fungus until recently.
I understand that some examples of fungus are thousands of acres in size, so we cannot claim they are too tiny to see. We are likely to watch 200 movies on eagles before we see a single one about the majesty, size, and power of fungus.
Fungus has probably cured one of your infections and given you a longer life.
Many parts of God's Creation are like angels, unseen and yet at work to help us. We used to warn Little Ichabod, "You are wearing out your guardian angels. Safety first."
