Our son Josh and his girlfriend, Paige, have been our “Stay Home, Stay Safe” housemates since late-March. Josh is an outdoor soul. Stuck inside day after day, working from home, with his eyes glued to the computer screen, he needed a diversion. One afternoon while gazing out the window, he asked, “Where are all your bird feeders?”
“We attracted so many squirrels and chipmunks, we stopped feeding the birds a few years ago,” I answered.
Surprisingly, shops selling bird seed, like pet stores, were open during Michigan’s shut-down. Josh placed a phone order from a local business and our yard became a backyard bird paradise. Each morning before starting his workday, Josh checks on his 11 feeders. I’ve lost track of the different types of seeds he’s using.
“New bird”, is a text I receive from Josh on an almost daily basis, if I’m not in the kitchen when he’s taking a coffee break. The neighborhood goldfinches were a dull yellowish-green when Josh started his bird project. Day by day we’ve watched their feathers change to a bright yellow as if the birds were slowly being infused by our spotty spring sunshine. Together we are learning to identify the sparrows, woodpeckers and finches. To date 29 different bird species have visited our backyard. We all look forward to our winged friends flitting in and out of view. Spotting and identifying new feathered friends is a welcome daily diversion in our household. We hope you’ve found one too.
