The Birds are Back!

I used to hate birds! I have written about this aversion before. All their flapping and flying, crowing and cawing terrified me when I was young.  But, as I have become older I’ve learned to appreciate their presence in my yard and in my life.

Yesterday, I ran some errands. We have been blessed with some really sunny days and blue skies here in the mid-west this month. It feels great to be outside, even though the air is still crisp and cold. After I helped my husband clean up one of our garden beds last weekend, I filled one of our bird feeders with the last of the seed I had from the previous season. I went to get more. And, while I was there, I picked up some meal worms for our resident blue birds. We have four nesting boxes on our property that my husband made with my garden club students, many years ago. About a month ago I had him make sure the boxes were cleaned out and ready for new bluebird nests.

Once again excitement filled my morning as I note a bird perched on the edge of one of the nesting boxes. Out came my camera and I clicked away. After several minutes of observing this bird, I knew that it was not  blue bird but probably a wren.

Then, later in the afternoon, I whipped out my camera again because I am fairly certain I saw a red-winged black bird perched atop one of our Norway Spruce in our backyard.

It seems the birds are back!  We have another sunny day here today, it seems. So, I will get the new birdseed and mealworms out to welcome the birds back to our yard. It will be fun to watch the population grow as they return this spring.  Soon, I’ll be able to hang my hummingbird feeder, too. Those tiny winged creatures amaze me with their buzzing, chirping, and ceaseless movement. Besides the Blue Birds, they are probably my favorite bird to watch.

Yes! The birds are back! Welcome home!