Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Bird Day

We did not plan anything for Earth Day. I knew we would spend time outside. We always do. I thought it would be nice to have a picnic lunch and maybe gather some sticks and things to make a little craft. 

The kids woke with other ideas. It was all about the birds. The books were spread out. The supplies were assessed. Alternatives were found. Feed and water stations were made out of large turnips found in the veggie bin. They were hung in the apricot tree! It was a whirlwind of activity after breakfast...






 Then we watched...

The guide books were brought out. Discussions were had about the various birds we have yet to see here.


And we watched.

We saw our first hummingbird of the season. As if on cue it showed up just as the little hummingbird bath turnip was being hung. That provided some extra motivation to sit and wait quietly for more birds... and to get a new hummingbird feeder!

We also saw throughout the day...

doves
swallows
red tail hawk
turkey vulture
geese
wild turkey
house finches
red-wing blackbirds
a blue heron
and a mystery bird we have yet to ID

But no one visited the feeders...

Time. It takes time. I can be hard to wait but I am looking forward to the moment when one of the kids comes running into the kitchen to report a feeder sighting. That will spark a whole new round of birdie excitement!

Are you bird watchers?

12 comments:

  1. I am a bird watcher! Unfortunately I cannot feed the birds because bears (yes!!) love my yard. Otherwise, I would be feeding all the birds. I now have a robin in a nest in my white pine. Also we have hawks that like to soar.

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    1. We have some other friends who have bear visitors... No bird feeding there either :-(
      We have been waiting to see if the local squirrel find these. We will see.
      Love to watch the hawks soar. So beautiful!

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  2. Love the turnip feeder!
    We do love to bird watch, but the dog loves to bird chase, so that's a wrinkle. We do have a barred owl hanging out in the tree outside my girls' bedroom, so we're always on the hunt for him/her.

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    1. Ha. Yes, that is a bit of a wrinkle for bird watching!
      We have heard an owl here but not luck spotting yet. So neat to have it right outside their window!

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  3. We are bird watchers too. Just saw our first goldfinches this year. Waiting for the first sign the bluebirds have returned.

    A perfect way to celebrate Earth Day I think!

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    1. Oh, we all want to see a bluebird. We never got to see one in NS. They were so happy to find them in the NM bird guide... the hope is still alive!

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  4. Oh yes, we love the birds here! Cardinals, bald eagles, owls, doves, quail, buntings, wrens, bluejays, finches are just a few that call our place home. My favorite? The cardinals, I love their song.

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    1. We have yet to see a Cardinal. We will have to bring them up on the Cornell Lab site to listen to their song. Fun!

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  5. We are bird watchers, and right now my little man is actually looking at a field guide of birds with his daddy. We have been making a list of everything in our yard for the last week, it is quite the list and still growing, almost ready for a post :) Love the feeders.

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    1. Thanks Kim.
      We love making lists of our sightings! We were just looking at our list from the last two years. The little lady keeps them for birds, insects, mammals, etc... so fun to look back on. And with lots of new things to see here it will be neat to see how they change with location.

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  6. We a an incredible sighting of birds! All we've seen around here is doves and pigeons. I look forward to renting a place with a bit a of land so we can see some more wild life. I would like to find a animal and plant guide for this area of France.

    A turnip bird seed holder is so clever!

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    1. Thanks KC!
      Did you know pigeons are actually "rock doves?" I loved it when we learned that. They seemed a little different to me after that. Funny.
      Hope you find a guide soon... we love our guides!

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