Free as a bird

By Jeff Orvis

Free as a bird.

We've all heard this phrase and most of us probably didn't think much more about it. But I'm sitting here on the porch in Davenport, not far from the fairway of the Crow Valley Country Club and as I watch my winged neighbors gobble up the food I put in the feeder the other day, that phrase is beginning to hold special meaning for me.

I've never been much for the formal study of the habits of wildlife. Maybe it's better that way for in my ignorance of the real reasons birds do what they do, it allows my imagination to run a little wild.

Currently, our feeder is sustaining a flock of sparrows, a couple of cardinals and a few mourning doves. I've seen a robin or two and sometimes a bird that I really can't identify swoops down for a brief bite.

We also have a red-tailed hawk that sometimes makes an appearance, landing on a large utility pole across the yard. If he's lonely or simply wants to announce his presence, sometimes his calling is so loud you can't hear the TV in the living room!

I realize that birds lead a tough life. We might offer them a bit of seeds to eat and a bird bath for water, but they have to cope with changes in weather, watching out for bigger birds and other creatures that would harm them and scouring the countryside for twigs and leaves to build their homes each spring.

But they do have one advantage over us: They don't watch CNN or the nightly news. They couldn't care less that there are numerous men strutting around the country, claiming to have all the answers to the world's problems as they seek the nomination for the presidency. Birds know nothing about war, unless they are close to the fighting and the noise scares them. They don't care that state legislatures across the country are working to make better lives for their citizens but sometimes seem to get in our way. But if mourning doves had lobbyists in Des Moines last year, they may have had some concern about certain new hunting laws!

I've noticed that we share certain traits with some birds. For example, sparrows appear to believe in strength in numbers. Sometimes, a lone sparrow will land on the feeder and peck away for up to five minutes. Then he lets out a yell and is soon joined by six or eight of his best friends. One of the cardinals that is a frequent visitor prefers to come in very close to nightfall. I don't know how he can see to eat, but maybe he likes to wait for the crowd to thin out a bit.

We've put up a hummingbird feeder. The experts may frown on this idea as it seems a bit too early. But seven straight days of record high temperatures make us wonder if the whole natural process might be speeding up this year. Hummingbirds are wonderful creatures. Despite their tiny size, they migrate from thousands of miles away each year. I wish we had a way to communicate with them so we could find out how their travel went. I went to Florida last summer and I'm still recuperating – and I was traveling in a Buick!

Well, that's enough nature observations for one day. Time to put the computer aside and perform the only task that matters to our winged neighbors...fill the feeder, then get the heck out of the way!