There she was, an old friend back to spend the summer.
Our visitor from Mexico was once again helping herself
to the sunflower seeds. All week the reports of black--headed
grosbeaks had been coming in. Their loud calling peek
could be heard in the treetops, a prelude to the magnificent singing that would follow.
As we watched her feeding, acting as if she had never left, we were trying to put our lives back to normal.
Five days earlier, my husband had a heart attack and this was his first day home. We were adjusting to something we thought would never happen. healthy eating habits
low cholesterol, regular exercise, no weight problem, no
smoking, a laid back disposition: He wasn't a candidate for heart problems. All those arguments mean nothing once it happens. Instead we have to accept the situation, deal with it and get back to what is normal with us.
The watching and photographing of birds have been part of out lives for more than 35 years. the grosbeak gave us somehing to hang on to as the convalescent period began.
After all, our family photographer can still aim and point that camera----and give me all the kinds of instructions for setting up and adjusting the tripod etc, etc.
For the next three or four days, several changes were made at our feeding stations. The day before the 911 call, I had binged on buying new toys for these areas. four new feeders and one of those drip arrangements designed for the birdbath were waiting to be setup.
Screwdrivers and hammers don't intimidate me, but putting "things" together is a challenge I avoid.
Now I coudn't and on top of that, the "patient" kept telling me how it should be done. In spite of a few disagreements over going up steps and lifting things and sitting in the sun too long, our project was completed and the rewards have begun.
If you know someone struggling with a long period of convalescence, or someone who lives a restricted lifestyle, I hope you have introduced them to the fun there is in watching birds.
After seeing the change this activity made in my father's life
when he was struggling with retirement, promoting birdwatching to others we know and love has always been important.
Now we're seeing for ourselves what it can do as we face a situation many others have dealt with.
Even when you are eager to come home from the hospital, you feel a letdown when it happens. Things aren't the same. You don't feel like you. A familiar, comfortable routine is gone. To sum it up, you don't know what to do with yourself, and the family is a little unsure too.
You can always sit down, look out the window and see the birds at the feeders or the birdbath. Nothing has changed as far as they are concerned. It's spring and many have young in the nest. Some babies already have left the nest. Other
species are sitting on eggs.
Even the pesky song sparrow is a welcome sight as he goes from one window to the other, still tapping, still singing a challenge to his reflection.
The jays are still scolding, more on edge than ever since the crows upset their nesting schedule. All or some of the nestlings did survive and the adults are working hard getting food for them.
Everything has changed in our lives, but just outside the window everything is as it always has been.
That's a comfort and it can also be the first step back to a normal routine.
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Migratory birds
