May Reflections: Slightly Bird-Brained

Growing up in North Dakota and Iowa should have caused me to be a much heartier person. It didn't.  Each winter I endured the blizzards and ice storms while counting the days until once again a crocus or daffodil would peak through and announce that color was returning to my world.  Oh, what joy when the first robin was spotted!  When at last the sweet chirping of birds could be heard, I knew that warmth was returning as well.

There was, however, an unfortunate downside to my fondness for the returning bird population.  My mother was concerned that should there not be sufficient seeds, worms, etc. available upon their immediate return, I should begin taking out all leftover bread after supper each evening. This should be torn up into teensy little bits and distributed around the yard, particularly under the trees. We had trees everywhere! At first I didn't mind.  Then after about two days my teensy bits became "bits", then "chunks", and soon I just tore the pieces of bread in half, figuring those old birds could figure it out for themselves.

My next chore was to clean out the birdbath. This not only meant making sure that the water in it didn't get a layer of ice so the birdies couldn't bathe (heaven forbid we have dirty birdies!), but I was to keep the basin and water clean. Hauling water in my little bucket took a lot of time. If you've ever had a birdbath you know how gross cleaning one can be, if not, just don't ask.

The Byrne Family Home

Earlier I mentioned something about not being hearty. That also involves a real distaste for any type of bug or creepy crawly. Therefore,  my last spring bird job caused me a great deal of anxiety.  I was to  "till" a small area in our garden since the ground was still quite hard from being frozen all winter. This was to allow the birds to peck more easily for worms. You can't imagine my delight at unearthing one while digging! Yet even though I may have done my chores slightly bird-brained, our yard always abounded with birds of every color and species. For this I am eternally grateful!

How thankful I am to now be living in a year-round warm climate.  I don't tear up bread, don't own a birdbath and will never dig for worms! But I still love listening to sweet chirping, watching nests be built and catching a glimpse of a cardinal with its mate on our back fence. This month we will be sharing interesting and delightful books about birds...birds with fears, facts about birds, birdhouses and birds that teach us a wonderful lesson.  Come to think of it, I learned some pretty good lessons and facts about birds myself while doing those chores.  I sure am glad we had a big yard with so many trees!

Mary Byrne Kline