A little while ago, before everything went to hell, I bought a birdfeeder. One of those simple cylindrical numbers with four little perches for eight little feet. I also picked up a bag of Kaytee-brand “Wild Bird Food ― Basic Blend.” Both totaled less than $40 at Home Improvement on Gutierrez Street. I hung the feeder on a hook outside the living-room window, and just became an accidental backyard birder.
It turns out the daily show of life and movement is the perfect antidote to the doldrums of the COVID-19 lockdown. Anyone can enjoy it, whether they live in an apartment or are lucky enough to have a yard. And with the arrival of spring, when migrating and nesting are on most birds’ minds, there’s more activity in the air than ever. I now work on my laptop within sight of the feeder, a little jealous of the freedom out there but more grateful that the birds like stopping by.
At first, I had no idea what I was looking at. These red-faced guys are cool, I thought. Wow, the yellow one is really beautiful. Does that fella have a Mohawk? But slowly, armed with a little online research and my father-in-law’s old pair of binoculars to pick out small details of color and body structure, I started to recognize individual species, and then to appreciate their distinct personalities and habits.
