The Bird Feeder

I like birds....I better retract that statement.......I like all birds but ONE. However this Blog is not about the ONE I loathe but the song birds I love.

Since I was a child my family spent many morning sitting around our dining room table watching the birds come and go from our platform feeder. The variety was often impressive from the bright red of the male Cardinal to the snootiness of the Blue Jay. There were times when the Mourning Doves would arrive so thickly we would question the bird feeder's integrity. Yet the feeder would always hold and we would continue our wonder.

Now it wasn't all sitting around, drinking coffee and pondering. In the corner of the dining room resided a Bebe Gun and its job was to encourage the squirrels to stay away from the bird's food. Now we tried many methods to discourage these furry creatures, but they were relentless in their pursuit of the sunflower seed. It truly was their own demise to climb the metal pole and plop their wintery lard on the feeder. Our only desire for these creatures was to scare them away and we would only pump the gun once. Yet to our great surprise this would only discourage them for a day or two. These squirrels had little self-control.

Today I have a feeder and have never seen a squirrel climb upon its platform. What I have seen are Cardinals, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Titmouse, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves and many other feathered visitors. Watching the birds brings me great comfort and another chance to sit in awe of creation.