Blending my own seed mix?
Slowly, I’m joining the birder gang. I find myself watching around the feeder for new colour schemes (aka paint jobs). Sent in my first “sighting” of a hummingbird, just because it seemed like the thing to do. My squirrel repel technique is improving, although his (her?) disdain is in lock step with my efforts. I now understand why the species has a niche in the cartoons.
And so, what next? Will I go to the beach with a spotting scope and binoculars? Is memorization of bird calls a good use of my time? Will I start blending my own seed mix? That’s pointless, actually; squirrels don’t really care about the taste, just the quantity available. There have been rumblings in the background that “we need some bird houses”, as if becoming a slum landlord for nests is virtuous.
I wonder if an eagle would move into a nondescript wooden crate, if I made the hole large enough? So many unanswered questions.
Still, the list of “what we might see” is alluring. I’m a person who collects things; bird sightings in my front yard don’t cost much (fixed budget and all that). I’ll not be the next Audubon, given my primitive art skills – stick figures of sparrows are so hard to individualize, because colour is everything.
Hey, I’m new to the game. Perhaps after a season or so, the fascinating will mutate into the mundane, and I’ll be forced to find something else. Of course, the battle against the squirrels will continue. Let the warning stand!
