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????

Birds and Birders!

Today when I was taking a break from peeling the mountains of grapefruit to be canned, I wandered outside for a bit. It was a beautiful sunny day with just a light breeze..just the perfect day for a stroll. As I walked, I thought..pondered anything that popped into the head. Then..oh, my goodness! A redheaded woodpecker! This bird has to be my all-time favorite! It looks as if it is dressed in formal attire! A bright red hat topping off its tuxedo! I love this bird! It tickled me to watch as he would try to stay on the opposite side of the tree from me. He would peek around the side to check if I was still there then..rat-a-tat-tat..he would hammer into the tree. Perhaps he thought that Ezzy, the dog, and I might steal his grub worms! Yes..this has to be my favorite bird..but no..I do not want his grub worms!

Like I said..I pondered things while I was out and about. The redheaded woodpecker made the thoughts turn to birds. I remembered another bird that wears a tuxedo..the rose-breasted grosbeak. Oh, yes! Another lovely bird! I think perhaps the grosbeak is my all-time favorite bird! It is a bit early for them yet..but come the first part of spring, they will be here. They will only here for a short visit as they migrate through. I wish they would stay for a bit longer but I know they must be on their way. The male grosbeaks, too, wear the black and white formal wear but instead of a bright red top hat (their's is black!), they opt for the crimson ascot! A little patch of red on their breast..hence the name! Add a few splashes of white and their outfit is complete! They usually intermingle with the indigo buntings making for some pretty colorful gatherings at the feeder.

Then a flash of crimson..ahh..my all-time favorite bird..the cardinal!! Yeah..I know..this one does not wear a tuxedo, but it is just so pretty that I had to throw it in here! The brilliant red of the cardinal does something to brighten up an entire winter. It can be the most dreary, grey day out, but if the cardinal makes his presence known..the day does not seem so bleak. This one will devour every black oil sunflower seed in the feeders all the while tossing the other seeds to the ground. The doves do not seem to mind this one bit since they are ground feeders and with the cardinal above, they are literally showered with feed! I do believe this must be my sister's favorite bird..she has several paintings of cardinals in her house. What a gorgeous bird!

Well, now that I think about it, I have an awful lot of "favorite" birds! Perhaps all of them are favorites. Ones like the red-bellied woodpecker, the blue jay and the summer tanager..lots of favorites! This reminds me of a comical thing happened about a month ago. I have a cousin that is an avid birder. She prides herself on being able to identify most birds with just a glance. I stand in awe of her ability to do this and truly wish that I would take the time to learn a bit more about my feathered friends. She has all the trappings of a serious birder..the binoculars..birding scope..bird identification books..and much more..too much to tote! Anyway, last month, this cousin had a houseguest that she wanted to take birding. She called to ask if it was ok to visit the Bayou to view any unusual birds that might be around. I agreed and immediately set to making this visit a success. I filled the feeders to the brim, scattered a bit on the ground and filled the birdbaths. That should help. Then, since both of these ladies are in their 80s, I lugged two of my wicker lawn chairs to the end of the pier so they would have sturdy seating. No hard benches for my guests! Two lap-throws were added to the chairs to shield them from the icy winds. (Which I thought was a nice gesture!) All was set..birds were flocking to the yard..waterfowl had settled in on the bay..the ladies arrived. By the time we got them settled in to watching for birds..there were no birds. No birds..anywhere! It seems that every bird within a quarter mile had gotten wind that some one was there to look at them. They hid!

No ducks on the bay, no osprey in the dead pine, no chickadees on the feeders. Where had they gone?? The ladies did see on osprey in the distance and a beautiful egret but nothing out of the ordinary. The bird-watching trek was a bust! I must say that the house guest and I had quite the amusing time but my cousin was miffed. Then to top it all off..I was told that it was the lap-throws that scared all the birds away! hehe..It is funny how navy blue throws were deemed "too loud"! I can just imagine all of those fine feathered friends sitting in the bushes, giggling at their successful joke!