Feed The Birds

Come feed the little birds,
Show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do...

So goes a verse of the song Mary Poppins sang to Michael and Jane.

So goes what I have been doing in my backyard for 30 years,

Something my family has been doing for generations.

Nana fed them crumbs from her apartment in Queens,

Uncle Ike made bird feeders for the family,

My Dad and Mom had quite a conglomerate of feeders along with Uncle Ike's.

Today there are more than 10 feeders in my backyard. I keep them in food all year long. Suet in the winter along with black oil sunflower seed all the time.

They bring delight to the eyes and ears. They help organic gardeners like me (another post here goes into tthe details of this).

There is one aspect that is so enjoyable. They get to know their caretakers. This morning a cardinal and a few weaver finches awaited my arrival. They stood ready when I came out with my coffee. I then went back in for their breakfast. They immediately went to eating.

That cardinal will come and land at a feeder withn 5 feet of where I sit drinking my coffee. The catbird has landed on the top of picnic table while I sat typing. The chickadees even closer while the sparrows have perched on another portion of the shepherd's staff while I poured seed into a homemade feeder.

They are my pets. Very little care is required and they are free as birds!