This year’s crop of young purple martins have now left to join the flock. For the past few weeks, we’ve watched them fly. It is perfectly clear that they experience pure joy in being able to fly. They go round and round, flying into the wind up to the big oak tree so they can clear the top and be tossed higher by the updraft wind deflected by the tree. Around and around. Not eating, just playing in the wind.
Every year we have a pair of mourning doves. We don’t do anything to befriend them, just let them be as natural as they are. What keeps them there are the two bird baths. The other regulars are a few robins, and cardinals. Later on are golden and purple finches. Not to mention countless starlings, black birds, blue jays, woodpeckers, etc. A few times even a hummingbird flits in and out. Our garden is a perennial one so the birds know when they will have seeds, and different birds arrive at different times of the year. We sow sunflowers for the finches. We used to have a cherry tree, but never had any luck to pick ripe ones, since black birds would get there one day and pick the whole tree of a morning…We cut it down finally because it grew too big and gave too much shade for the flowers.
DennisinSeattle over 7 years ago
Oh, well, in that case…
DennisinSeattle over 7 years ago
Hey Pidg, what is stopping you from exploring your surroundings? It’s those fries, right.
Templo S.U.D. over 7 years ago
well, la-dee-da
Argythree over 7 years ago
Maybe they are ‘Homing’ Pidgeons…
MeGoNow Premium Member over 7 years ago
This year’s crop of young purple martins have now left to join the flock. For the past few weeks, we’ve watched them fly. It is perfectly clear that they experience pure joy in being able to fly. They go round and round, flying into the wind up to the big oak tree so they can clear the top and be tossed higher by the updraft wind deflected by the tree. Around and around. Not eating, just playing in the wind.
josephz2va over 7 years ago
So digging for worms isn’t exotic for you?
JennyJenkins over 7 years ago
Every year we have a pair of mourning doves. We don’t do anything to befriend them, just let them be as natural as they are. What keeps them there are the two bird baths. The other regulars are a few robins, and cardinals. Later on are golden and purple finches. Not to mention countless starlings, black birds, blue jays, woodpeckers, etc. A few times even a hummingbird flits in and out. Our garden is a perennial one so the birds know when they will have seeds, and different birds arrive at different times of the year. We sow sunflowers for the finches. We used to have a cherry tree, but never had any luck to pick ripe ones, since black birds would get there one day and pick the whole tree of a morning…We cut it down finally because it grew too big and gave too much shade for the flowers.