So now that we're old, we've taken up bird-watching. We've set up the feeders right outside the living room window and we have his-and-hers binoculars so we can view the birds during commercials. ("NCIS," and "The Office," mostly. NCIS is a pretty good show, given its unlikely premise and characters. Seriously, none of those people, except maybe for Gibbs, would be working in a responsible position in law enforcement at the highest levels, right? Right? Anyway, I love the theme song.)
We've even started a log of bird sightings, God help us, and so far it's in a small notebook.
We have a few actual non-sparrow sightings and are some highlights so far:
We have a nesting pair of cardinals in a pine tree in our backyard. Mrs. Cardinal has taken to pecking at her reflection in our right-hand living room window every day at about 11 a.m. She's not overly enthusiastic about it, so we're not worried she'll hurt herself. Mary and I hear the tapping, look at each other, smile and shake our heads.
In the winter, we get lots of these Juncos. I don't know where they go in the summer. Probably Monaco, for the gambling and the women.
These pretty little downy woodpeckers (You could also call them "peckwooders." It's the same meaning, try it. You'll like it.) are a common sight when Mary puts out a suet feeder. They also attract these guys:
That right there is your basic red-bellied woodpecker. He's twice as big as the downy. At our Wisconsin place, I've seen a pileated pecker, which is larger still. Sounds like a machine gun when he's hitting the trees — you can hear him from half a mile away. I'll get a picture of him one of these days.
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