Cedar Bird Feeder Haibun
by Judi and Don Hall
We have an old bird feeder that came back from Ontario with us more than two decades ago, and it was not new then. One of these times the magpies will manage to pull one of the cedar shingles off the roof, but until then it’s the bird feeder. The aged cedar suits the Mugo pine and the naturalized look of the yard. The narrow perch, chosen in Ontario to discourage squirrels, slows down the magpies. That’s why they are always trying to break the roof, even though they have their own tray feeder.
This year small birds learned a new trick. It started with a harried mother crowned sparrow. There were only a few seeds left inside the hopper. There is a small gap between the plastic sides and the underside of the roof. She hopped up, and inside. We had visions of having to rescue a terrified bird, but no, a moment later she was out again.
Now a lot of the sparrows and red finches do this. It has one problem though, eventually the plastic is pushed down and the seeds will not flow. That was obviously the case today, a dull January day with a dusting of fresh snow. The feeder was full with no diners. Rescue time, even though normally neither of us would go out.
filling the feeder
three scoops of sunflower seeds
chickadee on watch
Judi January 2011
Photo: Don
©Gingezel