Saturday, May 22, 2010

BetterBirds - Spring Newsletter

The Hatchlings Have Arrived

It is mid May and as I look out my window, I notice a lot of activity at the chickadee birdhouse. The chickadees are flying to and from the birdhouse, bringing food to the nest. As I crack open my window I can hear the excited chirps of the new hatchlings piercing through the air. After weeks of preparation by the chickadees, first selecting the birdhouse and then bringing straw and small bits of string and fluff to build the nest, the big day has finally arrived. The proud papa and mama are working feverishly to bring food to their little brood.

The seeming intelligence of these little creatures is truly amazing. Yet all of the creatures on our planet seem to know just what to do when presented with the task of raising their young. For the Chickadee it is no different. The new mother waits at the birdhouse with her young as her partner heads out to forge for just the right food for the newborns. He is back in a flash and hops up to the entrance of the birdhouse where the female meets him, and he passes her the precious food from his beak to hers. She takes it into the nest and instantly the hatchling begins their frantic chirping, mouths agape, demanding to be nourished.

The process of life has once again been thrust into motion. As complex as it is, it is difficult to understand how at the same time, it can seem so simple. Certainly, it is Mother Nature’s way of replenishing the earth, but this time I feel that I have gently reached out my hand and magically stroked the joyful spirit of these daring little acrobats to once again flourish. And in a small way, the meaning of life and the beginning of a new season has touched down, right here in my backyard. Awesome!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

BetterBirds.com - November Newsletter

The cold November frost sits like a silver blanket covering the grass in my backyard. I sit in my kitchen with a warm tea staring out at the birdfeeder and the corn field that lies beyond. It is early morning and dawn has just broken the night sky. Day slowly starts to melt away the cold night and the activity at the feeder starts to pick up. I am again reminded of the term, “the early bird...”.

I stare out of the window as if in a state of suspended animation admiring the chickadees darting about, grabbing sunflower seeds, and taking them up to the security of a high branch to crack the shell. The Hairy Woodpecker is back and busy pecking away at the suet. A nuthatch has joined the foray, as has the American Goldfinch, whose bright yellow colors have faded away to a dull, almost brown.

This peaceful moment seems too good to be true. My 10 month old is now climbing up my pyjama leg, and my 3 ½ year old is looking for new ways to torment his little brother. The moment is gone, and life with two little ones literally pulls me back to reality.

It is the moments that make up the day, all knitted together, that create the ambiance of our existence. When I first moved to my house in a little hamlet, and put up a bird feeder, there was little activity. However, after a few days the birds started to make homage to my backyard. Now I enjoy the wonder of life outside my window year round. I feel that I would be missing something, perhaps a connection with my human ties to nature, if I did not have this interaction, this bond, with one of the earth’s prehistoric creatures...the bird.

I am amazed and awed by the seemingly endless and repetitive motion of the birds. It brings me back to my primal being, much the same way as the mesmerizing hypnotic lure of a bonfire under the stars. The journey of life is challenging at the best of times. I feel the opportunity to pause and gaze out my window at the birds swirling around my feeder is a gift that Mother Nature unselfishly offers, and one that I am grateful to accept.