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Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Apr 28, 2006 |
Welcome to the Birds blog. Traffic is a bit slow at my birdfeeder this morning: the feeder is swinging gently in the breeze with only an occasional push from a landing or departing junco. The chickadees must be feeding somewhere else. It's not the best time of day to watch birds, I guess.
I began the Birds page by wondering, why so many people love to watch birds. It's a good question, and maybe the true answer is that there are lots of reasons for our fascination. It's amazing how excited I get when I see and identify a bird that I've never seen before. It's just as exciting to visit a new place and be surrounded by dozens of bird species I've never seen before. Then again, to be in a distant place, far from home turf, and see a bird that I frequently see at home is a surprise and a delight as well.
At home, there's an old familiarity that makes us think that the birds elsewhere are more beautiful than our own, but I often remind myself that my birds, the birds of Eastern Canada, are beautiful too - the brilliant blue jays, the rusty red of the robins' breasts, the lovely yellow goldfinches (my husband insists on calling them budgies), even the subtle browny-pink shades of the mourning doves are wonderful to see.
Another fascinating thing to ponder is bird migration: while we are waiting out the winter, our birds of summer are singing in the trees somewhere southerly and warm. Meanwhile, some of our winter birds are preparing to head north as soon as things heat up in spring. How many of us dream of following the birds to better weather? If we are not like birds, maybe we wish we were.
For my next article, I'll find out about International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), which is coming up on May 13. You can check it out in the meantime at the IMBD website. Perhaps there is an IMBD event in your area.