IF YOU FEED THEM, THEY WILL COME by Pennie Hunt

My son’s family gave me a bird feeder for Christmas. I couldn’t wait until spring to install it in my backyard. This wasn’t just a hang-it-in-the-tree bird feeder. It was faaannccyy!

It had a camera that would activate with movement, snap photos, and record videos of the birds when they perched to eat the seed. These would then be sent to my phone. It had a solar panel that needed to be in the sun to recharge and power the camera.

Because of the weight of the feeder, I needed a pole buried deep enough into the ground for stability and to ensure it would withstand the wind. It was the end of July when I finally got the bird feeder up and filled.
And then I waited.  And waited.

My vision was the moment it was filled with food, the birds would flock to it. I thought, if you feed them they will come. It didn’t happen. I read articles that said I must have the wrong food. I purchased a more expensive kind. When I opened the bag, it smelled delicious and looked as good as trail mix for humans! I wanted to eat it myself! Surely this would do the trick.
And then I waited. And waited. No birds.

I began asking friends what I was doing wrong. One friend said, “It isn’t bird season. The birds come in the spring and fall to feeders.” I had never heard of this but began thinking she was right.

Weeks passed. Then almost magically on Sept. 1st simultaneously with the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes, my phone buzzed with a notification- “A bird is coming!”

There it was on live video - a bird was happily perched on the feeder chirping as she ate. A couple of hours later she returned with a partner and the two enjoyed bird conversations as they dined. I could barely control my excitement as I watched the video and listened to their sweet bird chatter.  

The next day the couple visited for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I named them Bonnie and Clyde because of their hit-and-run eating pattern. On day three they brought friends. All week there has been a nonstop parade of visitors. Bonnie and Clyde must have spread the word. I delighted in watching my phone for up-close viewing and then looking out my window and seeing them in the distance at the feeder.

I now have an album on my phone dedicated to bird photos and videos. I am sure my family is becoming tired of my enthusiastic texts to share these exciting cinematic moments. It is probably why they reply with jokes about old people bird-watching and how they need to get a life.

I always wondered why in the last years of my mom’s life she loved bird feeders and spent hours watching birds. I think I understand now. It causes you to sit and be patient. It creates a peaceful space to intently concentrate on nature. The sweet chirping and the sound of them cracking seeds creates a music that is only heard if you deeply listen. The grace with which the birds fly in and delicately wrap their claws around the perch to balance and eat and then glide away when they are done is hypnotizing.

Waiting and watching is a meditation exercise. Being in the moment. Staying still. You must concentrate if you want to see them visit the feeder or in a blink, you will miss them. It is a sensation of calm as you wait and joy when they arrive.

Maybe it is a joy that you understand with age. It isn’t that bird watchers need to get a life – maybe they have found life in the simplicity of nature. It is a happiness for me that was worth the wait.
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                                                  Pennie’s Life Lesson:
​                             To find grace and simplicity- look at nature. 
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                             Bonnie and Clyde Video Below
                                          Turn up sound!

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​YOUR TURN...        
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