Robins have enjoyed the front yard and warned me away from their duties. I installed a security light and they built a nest on it. They are always earnest about collecting yard debris for their nests. They prize leaves so I often spot one of them with a wad of dried leaves, frantic that I might take them. I prefer fresh spinach to dried maple leaves.
The favorite antic of birds is the group bath, so I have two in the Rose Garden and two kiddie pools in the back. Starlings and grackles love to splash in the pools, which have just a little water in them. Birds like to land on the high part and wade into the shallows. They dip their heads into the water and send it over their backs with extra wing flapping to get a good spread.
I am just starting to feed birds in the front, and they are cautious. I remember a Michigan reader constructing a large bird-feeding area. He complained that it was not getting action from the birds. I suggested waiting for a couple of weeks. Soon the birds were congregating, singing, and fussing with each other. The indoor cat took a position to watch all day long, head darting back and forth, as if selecting a future meal.
I eat two to four apples a day, so I have the cores to share, either with ants inside or critters outside. Squirrels take them immediately, though Possum Pete gets his share when delivered at night. Pineapples are too good to leave alone, so I take the leftovers to the barrel and toss the extra scraps on the ground.
Soon the hummingbirds will be reminding me to fill their feeders. Nothing is quite so entertaining as the fly-by, saluting the gardening for providing water and food. We can spot them in the trees, guarding their feeders.
