A handful of peanuts rolled onto the counter along with several dimes and a few quarters. I had reached into my jacket pocket for change. “For my birds.” I explained to the cashier.
It’s true. I never go anywhere without peanuts in my pockets. Neither does my husband. This year of 2020 has been stressful in many ways, but one factor has been positive. Bird feeding has been delightful.
We’ve enjoyed the antics of a flock of very extroverted chickadees and nuthatches. Early in autumn, as Dick walked from the garage to the house, one outgoing chickadee flew towards him, chirped and, flitting from one spruce branch to another, followed him to the deck. Dick set out a handful of peanuts. The birds gobbled them down, and the pattern was set.
A chickadee has landed on Dick’s visor cap. Another actually flies at my kitchen window to get my attention. Sometimes, it even clings to the bird deterrent parachute strings we’ve hung. One bold nuthatch takes peanuts from our hands.
Feeding the birds had a slow start this year. I filled the suet cage when the weather was still warmish and encountered a bear on my deck one evening. I backed off until the neighborhood bear finally hibernated before I filled the suet cage again.
The critters (did I mention red squirrels and a Pine Marten) keep me busy. My day starts when I toss several coffee cans of sunflower seeds over the back-door deck railing. This is the first course. As always, a small flock of assorted birds are already here at dawn’s early light. It’s usually an assortment of chickadees, nuthatches and jays, plus a pair of Whiskey Jacks.
The bird’s second course is peanuts. Shelled, raw and halved peanuts seem to be their very favorite. By now, the red squirrels are awake, busy bullying the birds and each other.
The next item on my bird menu is suet chunks. I place these on the railing but sparingly. They are the most popular item I offer. Breadcrumbs are the final touch, depending on how much stale bread sits in my pantry.
In the hullabaloo of feeding all these critters, I’ve been too busy to send Christmas cards, so I’ll take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Chirpy Christmas.
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