The best is yet to come!
Should I continue to feed my songbirds now that the days are getting warmer? It is a common misconception that the birds can fend for themselves during warmer months, when in fact, the nutritional needs of birds during nest building and feeding young, is so high that they really could use the help. Consider this; wildflowers, shrubs, and bushes are all in bloom and looking beautiful while providing a safe haven for spring songbirds, but natural seed is not available until those lovely plants reseed themselves next fall. It’s the greatest natural pesticide! Seed eating birds tirelessly fly back and forth building nests and feeding hungry mouths. How do they take care of their own caloric needs? What keeps them fueled up for such demanding activity?
In spring we open the windows of our houses and hearts, just as the singing begins again.
Witness a male cardinal’s serenade, the morning song of a robin, and a cheerful little chickadee. Keep your feeders full of hearty sunflower seed and watch the bonding magic of mate feeding, the busy back and forth of nest building, and eventually adults bringing their young seed eaters back to learn the ropes. If you thought your bird feeders were busy when snow covered the ground, prepare to be amazed!
Throughout recorded history, poets, musicians, and other artists have sought to evoke the unique joy of spring.
They play airy, exuberant tunes, and sing flowers of showers. They describe the warmth of the season, the rich smell of fertile earth, and the promise of rebirth and renewal. They struggle to strike the chord that will resonate in springtime. Then, with just three notes, the lowly robin blows them all away. Nothing elicits the joy of spring like the natural thrill of hearing birds sing and witnessing the drama of life unfold right outside your door. It’s the real Ode to Joy. —By Cathy Clausen
Photo above: An American Goldfinch on a Redbud branch is a beautiful harbinger of spring. Its song is both sweet and ecstatic.