The neighborhood gang

I have birds at my backyard feeders pretty much all day long. On any day, I’ll see up to two dozen different kinds of birds.

I’m lucky to have the kind of backyard birds love. It’s fairly large with lots of trees and shrubs in and around and open enough to make getting in and out very easy. The getting in and out easy is important, not only because cats sometimes wander through in search of a meal, but also because hawks are regular visitors. Several times over the years, I’ve watched from the bay window in our kitchen with equal parts horror and fascination as a predator like this Cooper’s Hawk swooped in and grabbed a mourning dove or robin. Nature can be as brutal as it is beautiful.

I was sitting at our kitchen table looking out that bay window one fall morning a few years ago when I saw this hawk perched in the dogwood tree next to our house. It was a cold and blustery day, which helps explain why the bird is puffed up (birds do that to insulate themselves), why its feathers are ruffled, and why I am inside my house. I got my camera, and shot this from the kitchen table through the bay window. I love how imperious raptors appear when they’re perching. I also marvel at how clean my bay window must have been to allow a shot like this.

If you’re interested in attracting birds to your yard, here are a few basics that might help. Keep feeders far enough from trees and roofs to prevent squirrels from jumping on them. Use baffles—I use witch’s hat baffles—on the polls supporting your feeders to discourage squirrels from climbing up from the ground. Or if you have the budget, buy a feeder like the Brome Squirrel-buster. They have an adjustable, weight-sensitive spring that prevents squirrels and heavier birds such as crows from eating any of the seed. Birds also need water, so they’ll love a bird bath.

My wife jokes that we have the best-fed birds in Atlanta, and that our children would go hungry before my birds did. For the record, both of our children have always maintained a healthy weight. But I do love feeding the birds so that I can sit at my bay window and watch the show.