For the Love of Birds

It’s finally spring and the time of year when migrating birds return to Wisconsin. Sure, we get the usual chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches throughout the year, but it really gets exciting for us when the birds that have been south for the winter return to our yard.

On Sunday we bought an oriole feeder that was on sale and placed it in our back yard. Orioles like oranges, grape jelly and sugar water nectar, and the feeder holds all three. We were hopeful, but not terribly confident, that the intended species would come to visit, based on our past limited success on attracting these birds. But early the next morning, as I peered out our kitchen window, an oriole landed on the feeder and began to feed. Bingo! I yelled out “Oriole!” and together Sherry and I excitedly watched it feed. It’s amazing how its startling bright orange belly adds a dramatic splash of color to the yard.

But the highlight is the migratory return of the hummingbirds from their winter haunts in Mexico and Costa Rica. Many years ago, Sherry and I stayed at a resort in Colorado that had a long row of hummingbird feeders outside their restaurant. It was my first experience seeing them and I was totally mesmerized by their frenetic activity and pattern of flight. I still never tire of watching them. In the last few years, we have added plants to our yard that attract these fascinating birds plus, of course, the requisite feeders. While orioles are attracted to orange feeders, hummers like the color red, and their feeders are filled with sugar water.

Although there are many varieties, Wisconsin is basically restricted to one, the ruby throated hummingbird. They are very small at 3-3.5 inches long, weighing 0.11 ounce, with beautiful iridescent green bodies, and the males sport a shiny red patch on their throat.

Hummingbirds live 3-5 years and will return to the same yards in the spring that they frequented the previous year. We were blessed last year with a pair of hummers who stayed all summer. On May 2nd, we hung up our hummingbird feeder for the first time, and only two days later I was excited to see a male ruby throated hummingbird at the feeder. I shouted “Hummer!” and Sherry and I enjoyed a male’s inaugural visit (the males arrive first while females follow sometime later).

These birds have amazing attributes. For example, found on an Audubon website: “If my feeder goes empty, they will come up to my windows. They will fly around the house until they see me inside and then begin to "chirp" until they get my attention. It amazes me how they've made the connection I put the food into the feeders and that they can come and complain about it being empty!”

How therapeutic that nature has the power to refresh our spirits. And so important in light of what we have endured this past year.