I like to start my day on the front porch with my Bible, my devotional books, my binoculars and my bird identification books. Add breakfast and coffee and I'm set for 30 minutes or so.
Most mornings I can predict pretty closely which birds I'll see: cardinals, white winged doves, house finches, house sparrows (yes, I know I need to trap them), field sparrows, white crowned sparrows, chickadees, carolina wrens, turkey vultures, red wing blackbirds, cowbirds, barn swallows, mockingbirds, etc. We have a northern harrier that must have a nest in the trees on a neighbor's property, I see it regularly. Sometimes I get a glimpse of the caracaras that live somewhere around here.
I put out a lot of bird seed in the form of loose ground seed, seed cylinders, and various suet feeders with fruit and insect suet.
Every now and then I see a bird I'm not expecting. This week, I saw two bluebirds - I'm always thrilled when the bluebirds show themselves - I've got bluebird houses out, but I don't know that we've ever had a successful clutch. But I also saw a glimpse of a bright yellow bird. A little later I got a better glimpse. I had a yellow warbler!!!!! I hope it stays around!
I need to spend more time on the back porch as well. I know we have a family of wrens that is frequenting the seed feeder back there. The titmice also seem to prefer the backfeeder, although ocassionally I see them in the front.
It really is a great way to start the day - watching the birds, hearing their sweet songs and calls and trying to focus my mind on things bigger and grander than myself.
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