My Dear Friends

My Dear Friends are you (as well as the birds). Sometimes we talk in person. Sometimes we share emails. Sometimes you comment on this blog. Sometimes I just know that you are looking at these posts. Always, you let me know that these birds and this sharing is meaningful to you. Thank you! I truly love it. I care about my neighbors and where I live. I care about my country. Our politics and controversies concern me, and often I’m asked “What can I do?” Sharing these birds is a powerful tool for building a better society. I’ve tried door belling and writing my congress-person but I’ve not found a better meeting place than these birds. Yesterday, after repairing a broken seed dispenser, Carole and I just sat in the yard for an hour or so with the birds literally surrounding us: the Jays cautiously snatching up their peanuts, the Chickadees going boldly where no bird has gone before, and the Downys and Juncos, Bush-tits, Towhees, and Sparrows all joining in the throng. It was truly mesmerizing. So many of you send me notes to tell me “The Rufous, or the Swallows have arrived,” or “O’M’ Gosh there is a swan in our lake.” If the “Lib-tards”, or the “Right-wing nut cases” are getting under your skin, remember the House Finch sitting on your deck railing, in all his beauty, just being Mr. House Finch. His head is red and his sky is blue – and to him, it doesn’t matter.