Peachy the Backyard Birdwatcher

Last autumn mommy bought a bird feeder. Daddy installed it in the backyard. It was conveniently attached to the deck just outside our patio door. We filled it with seeds and waited patiently for feathered friends to arrive. Nobody came.

The winter arrived and our hopes of watching birds enjoy our seeds got buried beneath the snow. Our seeds failed to attract a single bird. The bird feeder was left out there forgotten with the seeds untouched. It seemed that our efforts were wasted.

The spring came and the snow melted revealing our shiny bird feeder. Full of seeds and ready for business, the sight of the bird feeder reignited our hopes of seeing birds frolic on our deck. Surely hungry birds were bound to notice our bird feeder. We watched and waited while the bird feeder hung on its post. Nothing happened and no birds arrived.

Daddy wondered if we chose a poor spot for the bird feeder. Perhaps the birds didn’t feel safe there? Mommy thought that maybe there was something wrong with the seeds. Were they too old? The wrong kind? I started to think that birds might simply not exist in our backyard.

As the days got longer and warmer, and birds continued to avoid our bird feeder like the plague, we began to lose interest. For whatever reason the birds were not coming. Unable to figure out what we had done wrong, we began to move on and forget about our bird feeder once again.

Every night when the sun sets, mommy closes the curtains that hang above the patio door. Each morning at breakfast, mommy opens them again so that I can look outside while I eat. One morning I sat in my high chair looking out the window while mommy spooned yogurt into my mouth. All of a sudden, a bird appeared on the railing of our deck.

I froze and stared in awe drawing mommy’s attention to our little visitor. It was a tiny bird. A common sparrow of below average size. Possibly a young one born in the spring. As unimpressive as he might sound, he was a true bird and he was at our bird feeder eating our seeds. In our eyes, he was the greatest bird ever!

That morning the little sparrow and I ate our breakfast together. Once he ate his fill, he spread his wings and flew away leaving me amazed. I had seen birds many times but I had never observed a bird so closely before. He was beautiful and awe-inspiring.

In the days that followed I watched the bird feeder diligently. From the time those curtains opened at breakfast, until the sun went down each evening, I observed our bird feeder. Mommy and daddy helped keep watch as we waited and hoped. A week went by and nothing. Then two weeks and still nothing.

We began to let our guard down and we watched the bird feeder less and less with each day. Eventually we would only cast an occasional glance in that direction never really expecting to see anything. Was our encounter with the bird a fluke that wouldn’t be repeated again? It was beginning to look that way.

One morning as I waited in my high chair for my breakfast, mommy opened the curtains to a fluttering of feathers. It was surprising and startling but once the dust settled, there was nobody there. Mommy stepped away from the window and began feeding me my breakfast as if nothing had happened. I followed mommy’s lead. Maybe I had imagined the strange fluttering.

After a few minutes my eye was drawn to some movement and as I directed my gaze in that direction I spotted a red coloured finch sitting on the deck. He jumped up to the bird feeder and proceeded to eat. Moments later a second finch arrived, followed by a sparrow. They ate and frolicked together, fluttering and chattering in bird-like fashion.

Since that morning, birds have been visiting us every day. They eat, chase each other, sing to one another, and chirp insults at our cats. I have lots of company at breakfast now and often throughout the day. Sometimes I accidentally spook them when I run at the door and come to a stop with a thump on the glass, but the birds always come back again.

I like the birds so much that I don’t even mind the fact that mommy has been using them to teach me a few new things. Learning is hard and I don’t really like to be pushed to learn but when it comes to birds, I don’t mind. I have even successfully learned a few of the things mommy has been showing me.

I know they’re called birds and when I hear mommy say “bird”, I look for it. I try to say “bird” when I see one at the bird feeder or even at the park. It doesn’t sound quite right but most of the sounds are there. It’s a hard word to say! When the birds flutter away I wave goodbye to them. Sometimes I throw an uh-oh in there for good measure. That’s my favourite word of all.

It seems that our bird feeder has become very popular and lately we’ve been having visitors of a different kind. For about a week I’ve observed furry creatures eating out of our bird feeder. Birds are supposed to have feathers! Mommy tells me these creatures are called squirrels. I don’t know anything about them yet but I do hope they stick around.

I love our bird feeder! It has brought so many friends right to our door. They keep me company and put on a good show. Now it’s hard to imagine that just a couple of months ago our bird feeder was a desolate place, barren and devoid of any life. Now it’s the fashionable place to be!