Birds

You know, it is funny. Strange funny, not ha ha funny, I never really considered myself a "bird person". One of those people with a bizarre attachment to birds in cages in my house, that kind of bird person.

But I started noticing all the birds every time we moved. Each place had its own unique wildlife, birds included. Our first move was to Guadalajara and I was so entranced with the trees, flowers, houses and all the color I never really noticed the birds. We had boatloads of squirrels, that's for sure!

Then we moved to Monterrey, Mexico (not to be confused with the beautiful Monterey on the coast of California). Monterrey is a Beige city. All the mountains around there were strip mined so they are beige, there is massive pollution and the air is beige, and the complete opposite of Guadalajara where people wanted their homes to stand out, these houses were all various shades of beige. Did I mention that the beige polluted air smelled to high heaven? It did. I remember clearly lying in bed and my first waking thought was, "What on earth is that smell???" It was the air. Gross.

Anyhoo, back to birds. So in the midst of all this beige nonsense, we had a huge gigantic pecan tree in our back yard. And every day we had a flock of small green parrots who would fly in from heaven only knows where and come to collect pecans. It was like they all left home at the same time, came to get food and then in the late afternoon about 5-ish they would all fly home with pecans in their feet. Some of them would squawk really loudly so you would remember to look up and watch them, and some of them would be morons and drop their pecans. So you better be looking up so that you don't get beaned with a falling nut! They would hit the patio with a resounding THUD! I loved those parrots!

In South America we had loads of birds in our various locations, but I didn't know the names of most of them. It was when we moved to Mexico City that I became fascinated with the hummingbirds. We had more hummingbirds than I can ever remember seeing! Let's put it this way, there were almost as many hummingbirds as there were VW Beetle Taxis. Ha! Now, you know how many I am talking about. I spent a lot of time buying hummingbird feeders, making up the solution and sitting at my window watching them. They are so beautiful and unbeknownst to me, quite feisty! I like them!

At our home in Minnesota I was so in love with the Canadian geese. People kept telling me I would get sick of them but no, I can't imagine that happening. They were so beautiful and such good parents to the little guys.

Here at our current home we live in an area with tons of birds! I love watching them. I was picturing myself the other day dressed up like Miss Jane from the Beverly Hillbillies when she was birdwatching with Wally Cox. The big hat, the khaki shorts with tons of pockets, the big binoculars and cameras, books, etc, all at the ready. I already have the binoculars and a hat, so I am on my way!

I like to watch the birds but I don't want to put any feeders out or anything to attract them. I do have 5 cats and 3 dogs that have all shown their penchant for bird killing. Right now I most enjoy the cardinals and the hawks. We also have blue jays, woodpeckers, various sparrows, dove, nasty grackles, mockingbirds, and some really slow type of bird that my cats keep getting and I have to take to the Wildlife Rescue place. I forget their name, I think it is phoebe.

But my favorite is the big hoot owl that roosts outside my bedroom window at night. He is supposedly a giant barn owl and goes like this, "Whoo, hoo, hooooo. Who, who, whoooooooo". I love to lay in bed at night and read and when the house is really quiet and Mr. Big Ed is not snoring his head off, I listen to the hoot owl.

This is why I make sure all my cats are in before dark. The Wildlife Rescue place said that owls can carry off huge housepets. They also said that the owls will decapitate their prey and pull their guts out of their necks. Now, who wants to wake up and find Fluffy all headless and gutless on the front lawn? Not me, that is for sure!

In the grand scheme of things, isn't it karmic that after the cats are busy killing off the smaller birds during the day that the owls get a crack at them after dark? Hmmm?? This is why I try my best to keep my critters out of the food chain, the circle of life, and all that.

Do you have birds in your neck of the woods? Do you like them? Do you like wild birds or the kind in cages in your own home?