Something's Missing....

Here it is April and it seems as though summertime has been upon us for months. The temperatures are soaring into the mid-eighties and the humidity is enough to flatten the hair and make even the daintiest of Southern Belles sweat like a hog! Somewhere down the line, I missed spring! I do not even recall a decent frosty morning that burst into a warm, sunny day. We went from fall to "non-winter" to summer. I am not the only one that missed this season..so have the birds. Perhaps it was because the winter was so warm, the birds did not migrate but I have seen nary a one of my usual friends at the feeders.

No Indigo Buntings came at all this year! Usually in March, the yard is turned into a sea of bright blue as these little fellows forage for as many seeds as they can find. I have found that the feeders stay empty when they are here. Occasionally, I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a visit of a multicolored Painted Bunting but those occasions were rare. As long as I have lived on the Bayou, the Indigo Buntings would make a stop during their migration. For about a week, the yard would be graced with their blueness and then..as quickly as they came, they would be gone. This short visit was a highlight of my springtime..one that did not come this year. Not one Bunting..Indigo or Painted..came to visit.

Mixed in with the Buntings would be the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. Not this year...none came. This, too, made me sad. I loved seeing these birds with their tuxedo-like feathers. It was like a formal dinner at the feeding stations when they were here! I would marvel at the brilliance of the red patch on their white, white "shirt fronts". Some sad tale could have been written about how this was a "bleeding heart" or a perhaps a humorous tale of how it was red wine spilled on the tuxedo during one of their fancy dinners! Whichever way..these birds did not come to the Bayou this year. Nor, did the Blue Grosbeaks.

My friends stayed away from the Bayou for one reason or another. The feeders were filled and the birdbaths were cleaned..all in hopes that the yard would play host to the migratory masses. None came. The seed was eaten by my locals...which are always welcome. Still, I miss the changing of the seasons....WHERE WAS SPRING????