Not our bird or feeder, but similar. Not our birds, either.
I could sit and watch our bird feeder for hours.
Tiny birds line up on the fence to wait their turn, along with their bigger cousins. When there’s a vacancy, they fly to the top of the feeder and wait while another balances on the rim to finish his meal of seeds.
We keep the feeder full at all times, now that the birds have become accustomed to snacking there. Watching them is a zen experience for us (but no so much for our dog, Riley).
Peaceful. Sitting quietly in a patio chair, we wait patiently for a bird to arrive. It doesn’t take long, so we have learned to count on their arrival as much as they have learned to count on the seeds being there.
Attention. In quiet observation we experience seeing the birds fully, taking note of their behavior and obvious enjoyment. Keeping the feeder full is a responsibility we take seriously.
Yes, it’s the zen of birdfeeding.
When we left for a month, I worried that the feeder would empty before we return. It’s a little tricky to get up in the tree to take it down and we didn’t want anyone else to do it for fear they might hurt themselves. We hope that the full feeder will last most of the month, but if it doesn’t, you can bet we’ll be refilling it our first day home.
Sometimes, it’s the simplest of things that make life so rich, and ours has certainly been richer since we began feeding the birds.
I haven’t been still enough to observe nature much lately. It’s a good idea to slow down and drink in the beauty around me. I live in Kansas, and the cloud formations can be quite beautiful. I have trees in the backyard. I bet if I sat out there, I might see some birds. (I have a dog, so he would have to stay inside while I watch birds; it’s probably an either or proposition.) Thanks for the slice o’ zen to start off my day.
I could watch the birds for hours. You seem like you have a good setup – we have a lot of squirrel drama at our house. That amuses me but drives my husband crazy. It’s all nature!
We love our birds as well! We keep a regular bird feeder and a humming bird feeder in both the front and back yards and we have four bird houses scattered around on different trees. We can sit for hours watching them. We get all kinds here from the very small finches to Blue Jays and Cardinals. It’s so much fun…and relaxing to sit and watch them.
Carol Cassara, sounds like what my Mom was saying. smile emoticon My Father put a bird feeder in their back yard and she is amazed how much she enjoys watching the birds
I so love feeding the birds. And our neighbourhood squirrel! My problem is that our greedy little feathered friends empty our feeder in no time flat. Less than an hour. And it is a large feeder!
Signed: Sad and Seedless in Canada
This sounds wonderful. My son would love it if we put up a bird feeder in our backyard. I am seriously considering doing it. I also just love the idea of just being still and watching the birds come and go.
We moved out to a small town just on the border of the country a few years ago and the house came with a built in bird feeder. Up until that point, we’d never really fed birds but now we love it!
If you had asked me 2 years ago if I’d be a bird watcher I would have laughed and laughed. Now that we live in a migratory path for so many varieties of birds I can’t get enough. We set up bird feeders outside our kitchen windows last year and I’m looking forward to putting them back out soon. They recommend, here at least, to take them down in the summer so the birds can feast on the natural seeds and grubs, etc. in their natural path. We still see them, but not up close like we do in winter. This city girl has become a country girl and I love it.
b
My Dad at almost 90 has taken to feeding the birds and I love watching how much of love and care he puts into it. It’s so delightful to watch the birds hold ‘conversations’ while they feed!
I like that you pointed out that the birds don’t take long to come to your place when you are going to feed them. I hope that also happens when we buy and place bird feeders in our backyard. We just moved into this home last month, and we noticed that there are lots of birds in this neighborhood that is why we wanted to have bird feeders. It would be exciting to watch them come to our place.
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I haven’t been still enough to observe nature much lately. It’s a good idea to slow down and drink in the beauty around me. I live in Kansas, and the cloud formations can be quite beautiful. I have trees in the backyard. I bet if I sat out there, I might see some birds. (I have a dog, so he would have to stay inside while I watch birds; it’s probably an either or proposition.) Thanks for the slice o’ zen to start off my day.
I could watch the birds for hours. You seem like you have a good setup – we have a lot of squirrel drama at our house. That amuses me but drives my husband crazy. It’s all nature!
Your beautiful idea encourages my efforts to learn to sit still. Thank you!
What a wonderful way to bring zen into our lives. I think it’s time to go buy a bird feeder.
We love our birds as well! We keep a regular bird feeder and a humming bird feeder in both the front and back yards and we have four bird houses scattered around on different trees. We can sit for hours watching them. We get all kinds here from the very small finches to Blue Jays and Cardinals. It’s so much fun…and relaxing to sit and watch them.
Carol Cassara, sounds like what my Mom was saying. smile emoticon My Father put a bird feeder in their back yard and she is amazed how much she enjoys watching the birds
I so love feeding the birds. And our neighbourhood squirrel! My problem is that our greedy little feathered friends empty our feeder in no time flat. Less than an hour. And it is a large feeder!
Signed: Sad and Seedless in Canada
This sounds wonderful. My son would love it if we put up a bird feeder in our backyard. I am seriously considering doing it. I also just love the idea of just being still and watching the birds come and go.
I am with you Carol. I am hooked on birdfeeding. Even my dogs love to sit and watch them come, go, eat and enjoy our yard.
We moved out to a small town just on the border of the country a few years ago and the house came with a built in bird feeder. Up until that point, we’d never really fed birds but now we love it!
If you had asked me 2 years ago if I’d be a bird watcher I would have laughed and laughed. Now that we live in a migratory path for so many varieties of birds I can’t get enough. We set up bird feeders outside our kitchen windows last year and I’m looking forward to putting them back out soon. They recommend, here at least, to take them down in the summer so the birds can feast on the natural seeds and grubs, etc. in their natural path. We still see them, but not up close like we do in winter. This city girl has become a country girl and I love it.
b
My Dad at almost 90 has taken to feeding the birds and I love watching how much of love and care he puts into it. It’s so delightful to watch the birds hold ‘conversations’ while they feed!
I watch the birds hourly right outside my door. For some it can become a TV substitute…so much more healthy than watching the news these days!
I like that you pointed out that the birds don’t take long to come to your place when you are going to feed them. I hope that also happens when we buy and place bird feeders in our backyard. We just moved into this home last month, and we noticed that there are lots of birds in this neighborhood that is why we wanted to have bird feeders. It would be exciting to watch them come to our place.