MAYBE THIS TIME

I’m so excited.  Well, I’m also a little wary, but still pretty excited.  Holding my breath.  Fingers crossed.  On the edge of my seat.

One of the primary benefits of living out in the country is the wildlife feature.  Oh sure, it would be nice to have pavement right to the yard, a store just a few blocks away, and if sewer and water problems develop they are someone else’s problem, but these are more than balanced out with the tranquillity of being miles from your closest neighbor, the endless green space we are surrounded by, and sharing the whole setup with wildlife.

There have been beaver and moose wandering right through the front yard, fox and coyote that keep our evenings alive with their wild music, and in the next month the yard will be twinkling with fireflies at dusk.  There are also white tailed deer that hang around but I’m not too happy about that right now.  They like my apple trees more than I like them at the moment.

At this time of the year though, it’s the birds that are the most fun.  Throughout April and May, as each warmer day follows another, birds of all shapes, colors, and sizes arrive back to declare spring is here.  The crows squawk it first, then great flying wedges of geese honk their greetings, followed closely by the robins.  Each of these harbingers of spring making us happier than the last.

Then the wait begins for the rest ... the morning doves, the meadow larks, the wood peckers, the little junkos and wrens, the noisy reunion of redheaded blackbirds on the slough north of the house.  I’m also always glad to see our blue heron back, and hear the strange sound of the slough pump (egret); it means that we have all made another trip safely around the sun.

I don’t know if they are the last to arrive – maybe I quit paying attention once I spot hummingbirds at the feeders – but their arrival gives me the biggest sigh of relief.  So good to see them “home” again!  In the thirty plus years that they’ve been summering here we’ve had as many as four nesting pairs at a time.  It makes for some crazy bird watching (and ducking) by mid August when the juveniles come to feed too.  They are like tiny Samurai warriors defending their territory; dipping, weaving, diving and chattering threats at each other.  It’s quite the show.

Almost at the same time as they arrive, the orioles do too.  I don’t know if they are travel buddies or that that they just know to follow the hummingbirds to where the sugar water feeders are, but sure enough they are a package deal.  Almost.  The hummingbirds stay, the orioles fuel up and move on. 

I want them to stay so badly, but they don’t.  I know they like oranges so I slice the fruit and set it out; they dine and leave.  I’ve tried grape jelly too; no dice.  It makes me so sad.

But this year (and I hope I’m not jinxing this by talking about it) it’s beginning to look like we have a couple of keepers.  We’ve been through seven oranges and they are still coming back for more.  It’s been more than a week – that’s never happened before.  The part that makes me the most hopeful is that the last two days it’s only been the male eating the oranges.  If my guess is right, the little lady is sitting on some eggs.  I am so excited!