It was a sunny and warm March day, and I had put out bird seed for the local birds. Soon sparrows, doves, cardinals, juncos, a couple of fox sparrows (so prettily striped), blue jays, mockingbirds and a trio of tufted titmice (my favorite) arrived. I sat perfectly still so as not to scare them away. A titmouse landed behind me and seconds later I felt and heard it's tiny feet on the shoulder of my jacket, and it started pulling at my hair! It was only there for a few seconds, but the joy I felt is still in my heart. It was a wonderful feeling. Many times I had sat outside with peanuts in my hand in the hopes that a bird would eat from my hand, as I've seen them do on some social media accounts but was never successful.
My husband buys large bags of bird food, and we scatter it daily on the ground. Been doing it for years. It's a great way to be entertained and to cheer up the day, since they come rain, snow or shine. Several generations of birds have grown up on the food we've provided.
There's an oak tree in the yard and lots of bushes around that provide shelter/food for the birds. There are also several squirrels who come for food and treats (hazelnuts, walnuts). They come to the door and climb all over the screen. There's one that appears to be blind in one eye. He thought my toe was a peanut! Good thing it didn't bite me. I once got a deep scratch from an overzealous squirrel when I offered it a peanut by hand, which I won't do anymore unless I'm wearing an oven mitt. Those claws are sharp!
One hot summer day I was in the living room watching TV, and I heard something scratching around in the back room, but since our windows were open, I figured it was outside. Later when I went back there I noticed the screen was torn open, and it appeared a squirrel had come through and opened the storage container which held the bird food since it was all over the floor! It had gone back out the way it had come in because I didn't see anything, just the evidence left behind. A couple of years before that my husband had left the same container outside, even though I had warned him about the squirrels; but he didn't believe they'd chew through the tough plastic top, which they did with no effort. They know where the goods are!
Every once in a while a hawk will visit the backyard. Seen it chase a squirrel and can tell when one is nearby because all the birds take off suddenly, sometimes crashing into a back window with such force I can see the chalky imprint of wings and a body on the window.
Have also seen raccoons and opossums in the yard. Love my little patch of nature in the middle of a big city!
