October 10, 2013
The birds did not get the memo that winter was coming early. When I woke to snow on the mountains this morning, I knew it must be a mistake. It’s not even the middle of October, so it can’t be this cold and there cannot be snow on the mountains. The winter birds would have told me. They would have known.
I looked for them – the white crowned sparrows and the Oregon Juncos. None in sight. Well, summer would be back, or at least, Fall.
Suddenly, later in the afternoon, I looked out the kitchen window and behold, the weather word had travelled and there they were: two white-crowned sparrows hopping onto the lawn, just in front of the shed. Where had they been when I needed them to tell me it was time to put away the summer clothes?
Well, I don’t believe it. Fall will be back. I know this, because October is the most beautiful month in our desert, and she just stepped out for a minute. She will not let us down.
Meanwhile, keep an eye out for Bushtits – those little clusters of birds that make a clicking sound and fly together from bush to bush. More white crowns and juncos will be around soon, and any number of migrating birds will stop by for lunch on their way south. Remember to look up occasionally – perhaps high up – so you won’t miss the wonderful turkey buzzards gliding peacefully along the curving Mojave River.
Bird watching is a lovely hobby, especially if you can’t get out and about as much as you like. I encourage you to keep a hummingbird feeder ready for the migrating hummers…they will remember you next year. Black-oiled sunflower seeds will bring in grosbeaks and purple finches, (let’s face it, the finches never leave), and peanuts in the shell will attract those thieving scrub jays. They will grab them with a noisy squawk and fly off, as if they had fooled you once again.
Of course, some our prettiest perennials are those little lesser goldfinch – the tiny black and yellow or green and yellow birds that love the Niger. Many people call them “greenies”.
My Burt enjoyed sitting in his big chair positioned to watch the birds on the feeder. When he was in bed, he could watch the hummers on the feeder just above the window. With the feeder above him, he could see the tiny long tongues lap up the sweet water.
Bird watching is a gentle, easy, hobby that can absorb you for hours. While doing so, you may catch bunnies doing a dance, a squirrel sneaking up on the bird feeder, a lizard rapidly digging a hole to climb into for warmth. This is the desert and it is made for such guiltless pastimes.
Indulge, enjoy, and if you are a caregiver, be sure to keep your patient warm in this faux winter. Until next time, when Fall will have returned to finish her dance.
