BIRDS GALORE

Early this morning, about 6 a.m., I stepped out the back door to hear an astonishing sound —the song of a hermit thrush. The high sweet notes always make me shiver. The song is the most ethereal of all the boreal birds. Yet it is seldom heard in the city. However, a friend in Fort William reported a hermit thrush in her garden last week, a rare sight. My hermit thrush sang from high in the neighbour’s spruce tree. This bird is robin size, brown with a spotted breast and reddish tail. It is often seen on the ground looking for grubs and worms.

My garden is alive with birds these days. The sparrow tribe is well represented: chipping sparrow, white throated sparrow, junco, white crowned sparrow and, of course, the resident house sparrows. The junco and the white crowned are just passing through. The others have come to nest if they can. Sparrows are voracious seed eaters and they make regular patrols through the garden beds.

A ‘sweep, sweep’ whistle announces a group of pine siskins who love the Niger feeder. I am looking out for gold finches but so far they have not paid a visit. A friend in the County Park area has evening grosbeaks at her feeders. A robin sits in my crab apple tree and clucks and laughs. Few people know that a robin can laugh but it can. It also sings “cheer-up cheer-up” but it often throws in a few laughs to confuse the listener.

A red breasted nuthatch honks from the tall Manitoba maple next door. These trees are often considered too big for city gardens but birds love them. A woodpecker of some kind lives in there too. A friend complains about the persistent drumming of the local flicker. May is mating time for all the woodpeckers. The males often drum maniacally trying to attract a mate. Like all love frenzies, it will pass.

The usual city customers come by. Blue jays squawk even when they fly overhead, starlings mob the feeders, grackles patrol for slugs and grubs. Crows often hop down to see what they can find and gulls wheel over head.

I am hoping the ban on pesticides and herbicides will help the birds. And it is encouraging to see so many city people planting trees, bushes and lots of greenery, just the stuff birds love.