Bird feeder TV

It’s hard to believe, but there is something positive to be said about these frigid, COVID-19-restricting winter days. The most addictive entertainment in town is right outside your window, and it’s free.

A few weeks ago, our daughter gifted us with a vertical bird feeder we placed on a pole outside our kitchen window. Initially the feeder attracted just different species of sparrows — lots and lots of sparrows that engaged in ferocious food fights, pecking away at each other for a perch on the feeder. Once a bird has a foothold, he’ll fight off any attempt to dislodge him. And every day, a new battle is waged as birds sitting on a fence await their turn to make a dive for the feeder. It is waged in a flurry of feathers — the avian version of survival of the fittest.

Then came the more peace-loving cardinals — plural, because they come in pairs. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair that for these beautiful birds, Pa is the most colorful, a brilliant scarlet, while Ma is a more subdued rust color.

At first there was just a single pair that tried valiantly for a place at the table. But the sparrows were having none of it, pushing the cardinals rudely off the perch whenever they gained a foothold. So, since the sparrows refused to share, I began scattering a generous amount of seed on the ground and, voilà, my reward is that we now have four pairs of cardinals dining outside our window.

Word must have spread because the feeder is now attracting small black-and-whitestriped woodpeckers and other species I can’t identify. But with snow covering the ground, scavenging for food is tough for birds.

So the next time you buy food for your local food pantry, don’t forget a bag of birdseed for your feathered friends. You’ll enjoy the show as much as they’ll enjoy the meal!