Like many of us, I have a pretty set morning routine. And an evening one, too. But, for this post I want to focus a bit more on my morning one.
Once I’m out of bed, gone downstairs and have my morning tea paraphernalia ready, I do my morning meditations and light their corresponding candles. Then, I check my vitals, take my morning meds, do my journaling, and finally, like Mary Poppins, I feed my birds. But unlike her, I don’t sing. In fact, the only way I can carry a tune is by transporting sheet music. The routine isn’t always in this order, but it’s close enough. Once all that is done, I pour my first cup of tea, grab a little bite of something to eat as to not necessarily have my meds on an empty stomach. Then I gird myself for a brief glimpse of the news. Too much news can trigger my anxiety and raise my blood pressure, so I limit my intake. Sounds like a pretty boring or typical routine, I know.
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| The breakfast crowd on a slow day |
My favorite part of my morning is watching my birds. Well, they aren’t mine, as they are wild, but I feel they are mine as I feed them and they seem to know my house as they are often waiting for me on those extremely rare mornings when I sleep in. Fortunately, they’ve scattered enough seeds on the ground that they find something to eat until I fill their dishes. Yes, dishes, plural. Plant saucers, actually.
Two dishes get a finch mix, one dish gets a mixture of raw peanuts and sunflower seeds, and the last one gets both sunflower and safflower seeds. By the early afternoon, all the dishes are pretty empty because the lunch crowd polishes off what the breakfast rush left behind.
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| Finches in the bath |
I get a variety of neighborhood birds; a couple of species of Sparrows, House Finches, Doves-both Mourning and Collared, California Scrub Jays, and on rare occasions, a Mockingbird, some California Towhees, and a Black Phoebe have dropped in. I think these last three are more insectivores as they don’t approach the dishes. Hummingbirds do visit as well, but get their sustenance from some of the flowers I have and some Goldfinches have begun using my fountain as a water source and birdbath. I haven’t seen the Golds at the feeding dishes, so I’m not sure what and where they are eating.
Two squirrels have also found my home and are regular visitors.
The doves, sparrows and finches go for the finch mix and safflower seeds, while the jays prefer the peanuts, as do the squirrels, but both also like the sunflower seeds. The jays and the squirrels seem to have some sort of an understanding about who gets to eat before whom. Bucky, the first squirrel to discover my yard is usually an early arrival, though the jays sometimes beat him to it. On those mornings when they don’t, they will patiently wait while he decides what to do with his peanut; either eat it then and there or bury it somewhere in my yard. I think he eats it then and there to keep the jays away. “More for me!” he must be thinking.
What I find fun is observing their behaviors. The doves, sparrows and finches just walk around the table and in the dishes, occasionally nudging at someone to get out of the way. The squirrels and jays will get the peanuts and sometimes eat them at the table, on the fence, in one of the trees or bury them in the yard. I’ve noticed up to four jays at one time and even among them, they have a pecking order. While one jay is in the dish, any other jay is waiting their turn, perched either on the back of a chair, a branch in one of the trees or on the top of the umbrella, sometimes there will be a jay in all three places when there are four vying for some peanuts.
While it’s been interesting watching their feeding behaviors, I’ve made some other interesting observations. I can easily tell the sparrows from the finches and can identify the males from the females in the same species due to different coloring, aka sexual dichromatism. But, how to tell the female sparrow from the female finch as both are a dusty brown color? In reality, it only matters to the males of their own species, but enquiring minds also want to know. Thank goodness for Google, I can now tell them apart. I am also reasonably sure that Bucky is a male squirrel, as is Junior, the second squirrel to wander into my yard. Again, thanks to Google.
Sexing the doves was a bit harder as the genders don’t have different coloring. Well, obvious different coloring. It turns out the males have a very pale light blue crown on the top of their head. They are also slightly larger than the females, but just slightly. I’m still working on telling the jays apart.
Speaking of male and female doves, their courting behaviors are hysterical. It appears only the males coo. I’ve begun to suspect it’s when they are ‘in the mood’ so to speak. He bobs his head and if the female shows no interest, the male will get a little more persistent and chase her a bit hoping to wear her down. He keeps cooing and sometimes hops after her like a little rabbit. It’s so funny to see a dove hopping. Bounce, bounce, bounce.
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| The collared doves |
The collared doves are much larger than the mourning ones and a much lighter color. So far, I’ve only seen one pair with one slightly larger than the other leading me to believe that was the male. Lo and behold, once I looked up to see the larger one mounting the smaller one right on the back of one of my chairs. I asked them if they would mind getting a room, but they ignored me and finished their deed. I hope I get to be godfather to any chicks that hatch. The female, or the one on the bottom, disappeared for a couple of days after that, so I began to worry. But, she turned up shortly after. Maybe she was nestbuilding. |
| Bucky |
Bucky and Junior, the two squirrels, have their own issues. I suspect Junior is younger as his tail isn’t as bushy nor is his body as big as Bucky’s. But, I think Junior is nearly full grown. Oh, the squirrel squabbles these two get into when Bucky sees Junior going after the peanuts. Bucky chases Junior all over my yard and into the neighbor’s warning him all the way.
I’m also beginning to learn some of the birds' calls. There is the gentle chirping of the sparrows and finches that greets me in the morning hours. But every once in a while things get a bit raucous and it’s either a sparrow spat or a finch fight. Though what they could be spatting or fighting over, who knows?
There is one other visitor I haven’t shared and is responsible for much of the bird splat I get on my windows. That is Cooper, the local Cooper’s Hawk. Coop likes to swing by for some breakfast, too and to the best of my knowledge hasn’t been too successful in my yard. So far. Though I have seen quite a few feathers on the ground but those could also be due to the feral cats in the area who also use my yard as a hunting ground as well as a litter box. When Coop swings by checking out the menu, all the birds hurriedly scatter and some hit my windows. Once, Cooper and Bucky seemed to be having an issue over who had the right of way at the top of the fence. I knew Bucky could push Junior around, but Cooper? Turns out Cooper had been lucky and had a dove or a pigeon on the fence and wasn’t interested in squirrel for breakfast. At least, that morning. Whew, Bucky, that was brave of you! And a close call.
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| Coop |
Now, that I’ve retired and the pandemic has kept me at home, I’ve begun noticing what happens in my yard. The more attention I pay to what goes on around me and study the different details, the more I learn. With the help of Google, at times. Perhaps, that can be a lesson for all of us. Slow down and notice what goes on around you. You may be surprised at what you see.
Now, if I can only find out who is digging the holes all over my yard at night.
But, I do have a theory.
