"Poor indeed is the garden in which birds find no homes." (--Abram L Urban)

Our back door’s wide open in the warm sun, the Metropolitan Opera’s playing on the radio, and the birds are chirping up a storm. It really does seem as if they’re trying to keep up with the music they’re hearing.

Have you ever noticed that the birds, like us, love to hear music? They really have been visiting a lot today, and hovering on the deck posts. I guess they’re all Wagner fans. Not a purist, I personally like Puccini. Yesterday, we had the doors open as well, and we were watching the DVD of “Moonstruck,” with the music from La Boheme.

Same thing—the birds went crazy the whole time the music played.

Outside, the lilacs and azaleas are blooming, and the first of the knockout roses is here on my desk.

When I glanced at our hanging baskets with coco fiber liners, I made a mental note to get some new liners: the birds have been busy stealing chunks of it for their nests all over creation. I imagine them thinking we stock it just for them.

Are we suckers or what?

“Spring would not be spring without bird songs.” (-Francis Chapman)

“All bluebirders must feel like ‘one of the chosen ones’ when we are fortunate enough to have nesting bluebirds on our own property” (-Lillian Lund)

Recently, the bluebirds have been sojourning on our deck and in our yard.

Of course, they’re here year-round, but lately, quite a number of them have been furtively easing onto their favorite perches and I’ve noticed the females, in particular, playing sentry at the bluebird house, keeping watch as if to ensure that no one else has eyes on their digs.

We don’t mind a bit. Their gentle nature and graceful plumage is a delight, no matter what time of year it is. I see it as a good sign that they’re happy, and that they plan on settling in for another beautiful year.

Early Bird

Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird

And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.

If you’re a bird, be an early early bird—

But if you’re a worm, sleep late.

(-Shel Silverstein)

• "Early in life, I was visited by the bluebird of anxiety." (-Woody Allen)

As might be expected of creatures so heavenly in color, the disposition of bluebirds is particularly angelic. Gentleness and amiability are expressed in their soft musical voice. Tru-al-ly, tru-al-ly, they sweetly assert when we can scarcely believe that spring is here; tru-wee, tur-wee they softly call in autumn when they go roaming through the countryside in flocks of azure.
- Neltje Blanchan, Birds Worth Knowing, 1917

(busy busy doing expense reports, mailing off information to hotels for the next trip, getting packets of information off to interested students, etc…back soon! Have a great Thursday, folks!) Good to be home for a few days...

“Every year, back comes Spring, with nasty little birds yapping their fool heads off and the ground all mucked up with plants.” (-Dorothy Parker)

I’m not sure when I first became enamoured of the birds. But anyone who knows me now knows that I love them, and especially the bluebirds. They possess a certain elegance, and conduct themselves gracefully compared to many of the birds we see. Right now, we have a pair nesting in our bluebird house and we’ve seen a good bit of familial activity going on there.

It’s hard to capture the vibrant blue of their feathers in a painting. They are real stunners, and I keep attempting to communicate their beauty, but somehow their essence eludes me.

Some of the perky little ones are adorable. Sketching them is fun, because they’ll tilt their heads or plant their feet in a jaunty fashion that’s very endearing. I happen to love them, and the plants mucking up our yard.

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.”

(-Jack Handy)

"A bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song." (Joan Walsh Anglund)

I once read that having a fish tank in one’s home helps to lower one’s blood pressure. Well, I don’t know if that’s true, and we don’t have fish. What we do have is birds. Lots and lots of birds.

I’m a huge bird lover, convinced that if birds aren’t good for the heart, they are at least good for the soul. On any given day, we host about 25-30 different varieties of birds. From the tiniest chickadees to the stateliest Sharp-shinned hawks, we enjoy them all. I joke that our deck is a veritable Golden Corral with sunflower seeds, suet, hummingbird nectar, thistle, and peanuts in a never-ending buffet for our fine-feathered friends.

It amazes me how each species has its own personality as well. There are the Towhees, whose females are dark russet colors and whose males are black, burnt sienna and white. They hover close by all day, and I hear their distinct “Sweeeeeet” call, alerting me that they’re at hand. Towhees don’t walk or fly to our deck; they primarily hop on both feet, right up our steps, and generally feed on the deck floor if seeds have fallen.

The male cardinals are bright red and bring us ample color in the winter when branches are stark, and they beautifully complement the green leaves in spring and summer. The males feed the female cardinals and babies, which is sweet to watch, and makes them appear to be kissing.

The “Chunky Charmers,” or Carolina Wrens, are tiny birds, but rotund and highly energetic. They’ll sing persistently early in the morning until they know we’re up and about, chirping different melodious tunes all day long. For such tiny creatures, they are extremely vociferous.

Brown-capped nuthatches mean business: also small birds, they dash in, peck frantically at the peanuts, grab a bite and dash off. They’re on a mission, and nothing gets in their way.

I’m always amused at the downy woodpecker, majestic in its stark black and white stripes with a brilliant spot of red at the back of the head. They’ll slyly scoot up the deck railings, peeking to see who’s around, then fly up to the suet and graze for a bit.

Appearing mostly in groups, the brilliant yellow and black goldfinches are clean, crisp birds. They head directly to the thistle feeder, three of them sharing together comfortably, unlike the grey hued and red house finches who squabble and fight like little harpies for a spot at the big sunflower feeder.

Spring is absolutely delightful with the arrival of the hummingbirds, when they visit us continually until the fall. Their antics are great fun to watch as they dive-bomb one another to protect their feeding source. Every single time they show up at the deck, we still announce out loud to one another, “HUMMINGBIRD!”

My favorite birds, however, will always be the bluebirds. The males are breathtaking in their vibrant blue, russet colored chest and white bellies. Henry David Thoreau said that "the bluebird carries the sky on his back." They are gentle creatures, and elegant the way they conduct themselves. They feast on the suet, especially if we have blueberries or fruit of any kind in it. They’ll perch on tree limbs or deck rails where they will have good visibility of their house, and meticulously watch over the female and their plump little babies in their nests.

We even garden to attract the birds. I guess you’d say we’re flattered that they all call us “home.”