Birdwatching

And the ice storm turned into a cold, misty rain storm. It didn't deter any of the wildlife. The squirrels were out in force. There were probably half a dozen of them in the backyard and one lone one in the front yard. Lots of birds too. I saw the cardinals. I haven't seen them for a long time. Since I've been working nights, I don't get out much during the day. Mrs. Cardinal was perched on the back fence and Mr. Cardinal was on the fence across the neighboring yard.

There was a pair of cardinals at my first house also. I rarely saw one without the other and even learned to identify their distinctive chirp. It's one of the very few birdcalls that I know. There was also a woodpecker living in one of the many trees in the backyard. I heard him tapping, but never actually saw him. I was thrilled when I moved into this house to discover a pair of cardinals in the neighborhood. No woodpeckers, but there are a lot of mourning doves. I know their call also. And the "squeak" of their feathers when they take flight.

Then there are the little brown birds. Tons of them. I have absolutely no clue what they are. Wrens? Sparrows? I have tried to identify them. Really, I have. I have looked in books, magazines, posters, the internet. Each one carefully points out all the differences among the various kinds of little brown birds complete with illustrations. But the little brown birds in my backyard look nothing like the pictures. They are just little brown birds. I may not know what they are but I do enjoy them.

I had one visit from what I later discovered was an evening grosbeak. It was an incredibly bright yellow bird. I was really surprised because I usually associate vivid colors with tropical birds. Alas, I have never seen it again.

And then there was the day I pulled into the driveway and sitting on the fence at the end of it was a hawk. He was magnificent. Of course, I have no idea what kind of hawk he was. I have heard that red-tailed hawks are common in this part of New Jersey but I have also been told by people who claim to know about these things that it was probably a sharp shin hawk. I didn't want to get out of the car and scare him away. It was the closest I had ever been to one. I had only seen hawks in flight prior to that memorable day. He must have been just passing through. I have never seen him/her again. The cardinals, mourning doves and little brown birds took no chances. There was not a single bird at my feeder for the rest of that fall and winter. I was worried that the hawk had permanently scared them all away. Not to worry. Everyone was back the following spring.