One for the Birds

            My back yard has a lovely cluster of trees in one corner.  One of these trees is mine – it’s actually an overgrown evergreen hedge that I trim to resemble a tree.  The others are in my neighbor’s yards which all meet to form a well-shaded corner.  One tree is a young maple and the other is an old mulberry tree.  The mulberry is quite large and drapes itself over the other two trees as well as all the adjoining yards.  It’s my favorite even though it drops mulberries all over my yard each June. Every summer my back yard becomes a bit of a mess with the fermenting berries that fall, get wet, and rot away into the grass.  Of course, my dog Lily enjoys that scent and rolls around in it frequently mixing the pungent berry smell with that of earth to cover her white coat with bits of all.  Thank God I have a great dog groomer.

One of the perks of having a mulberry tree is that it attracts a gorgeous selection of birds that occupy my yard every season.  I often sit on my stoop in the back yard, have a drink of some sort, and watch the birds with my dog Lily by my side.  There are robins, blue jays, finches, sparrows, morning doves, orioles, woodpeckers, and cardinals. Their colors and songs intertwine in the trees during the summer and we enjoy their company.  It’s so much fun watching them all.

            My favorite bird is the cardinal.  Their song is sweet, their color brilliant and the females are just as pretty, if not as brightly dressed.  I was thrilled that a pair of cardinals has made their home in my backyard for the past two years.  Honestly, I first thought the female was a woodpecker.  She has a unique peak on the top of her head and her coloring resembled the woodpecker that has been in the neighborhood for some time.

            Within the past 2 weeks, I heard the distinct sound of high-pitched peeps coming from a nest.  I knew babies were near by, but I wasn’t sure which bird had offspring.  A few days ago, I was in the yard treating my sunflowers for bugs – Japanese beetles have been feasting on them – and my dog Lily was close by me.  She started to act a bit off, crouching low, and staring at the flowerbed.  Suddenly, she jumped into the flowerbed and was sniffing at something I couldn’t see.  The female cardinal swooped in and started to squawk.  I stepped in and saw why; Lily had a baby bird at her nose.  I pulled her away and let the fledgling bird walk about.  It was chirping at me, obviously saying something I couldn’t discern, but I answered anyway.  I told the bird that I wouldn’t let the dog go and asked if it needed help.  The bird hopped about, chased a beetle, and attempted to fly. Further sounds lead me to a second baby bird in the flowerbed.  I wondered out loud who else was about when I noticed mom & dad – the cardinals.  These were baby cardinals! I watched the birds for another moment and then took my dog inside.

            Lily wasn’t happy that I took her away from exploring the curious visitors in our yard.  I found her crying at the door, scratching furiously in an attempt to get outside.  I wound up locking it to prevent her from pushing the door open.  Later in the evening, I went outside to see how the birds were doing.  They had all flown away.  I hope that they find their way back to my yard.  Just to prepare, I bought a nice bird feeder this weekend and placed it in the evergreen.  What better way to encourage them to make it home?