Backyard Birding with Bertie in the Blind

Northern Cardinal on dogwood. (4/21/20)

This past week, Bertie and I "moved" into my stepson's old bedroom for a short period of time each day. Like each of three bedrooms that our children have moved out of over the past six(!) years, his room now has a new function: the Blind. When the mood strikes us, Bertie, Blackbeard (our cat) and I will prop the window open, lift the screen and watch birds from the second floor window. During the course of our shared work day at home, I will occasionally tell Anne that "I'm going to the Blind." This often elicits a giggle which is always a pleasant sound.

Bertie in "the blind." (4/24/20)

As expected, bird activity has picked up slightly since placing the feeder out back. Though being a "bird dog", Bertie is much more intent on eyeballing and playing with squirrels and bunnies. Though they don't use feeders, I do find it unusual that not many Robins come into the back yard to forage. In many ways the front yard is very different in terms of what it attracts.

View from the second story blind... 80% visibility of our backyard. (4/21/20)

Bluejay on feeder. (4/21/20)

Dark-eyed junco. (4/23/20)

Full disclosure: Anne is the brains of our operation, and while I enjoy photographing and watching birds, I have little skill at quick identification. When writing captions or posts about specific types of birds, other than the obvious, ubiquitous ones, the names quickly roll out of her beautiful brain.

As accurately predicted by a colleague:grackles have moved in on the feeder! (4/23/20)

Northern Cardinal on blue spruce. (4/21/20)

Mourning Doves on blue spruce. (4/21/20)

Sparrow chilling in maple. (4/24/20)

Sparrows on feeder. (4/22/20)

Wouldn't be a day at the feeder without a squirrel sighting. (4/34/20)

The Blind might be our greatest quarantine diversion yet! Even the scourge of bird feeders everywhere, squirrels, don't bother me nearly as much as they used to as they seem to, at least in my own anthropomorphic sensibilities, wait their turn to eat. April showers continue to shift into May "flowers", and my wife and I begin our vegetable garden, past experience suggests that catbirds and other feathery friends will soon join the party.