Northwest Nature Notes: To nourish love, feed the birds

Published 2:45 pm Tuesday, September 13, 2016

The cup of milk ready to go in the microwave just hit the floor. The phone is ringing and the cat is diving at the spilled milk. I’m going to be late for a can’t-miss appointment. Life seems to be one small or large crisis after another.

So I make myself pour a cup of coffee, sit down and look out the window. Let the cat enjoy the milk, there will be less to wipe up.

Rings of water surround the two young wood ducks paddling slowly downstream, rich brown feathers glowing in the early sun. A kingfisher chatters his way past, loops and lands on an exposed branch, searching intently for breakfast.

OK, deep breath.

In the New York Times’ “Modern Love” section on Aug. 14, I found an article that is so important that I want to share it with everyone.

The article is titled “To Nourish Love, Feed the Birds.” I try not to be overly impressed by any newspaper’s credentials, but this is the New York Times, after all.

The article is written by a woman living in Mumbai, India, who realized that her husband, who worked in the publishing world, was becoming a stranger to her. The family had the typical worries: work, children, income, midlife. The wife was quite worried about their future as a happy family.

Then, one day, the husband came home with a bird feeder. He hung it in the kitchen window. As far as the wife knew, this was the first time ever that her husband had shown an interest in birds. Initially, she was not impressed. Just one more bother.

Then, one magical morning not long after the feeder was filled with peanuts, she saw her husband signaling cautiously to her over his newspaper: look around at the feeder! She turned slowly, and there he was, a gorgeous green parrot with a red beak, perched on the feeder.

Her story goes on to tell about her conversion to bird loving and greater sharing between the couple. The husband fussed over the feeder, worrying about its adequacy. He began learning esoteric bird facts and sharing them with her. One morning he saw a rarity, a sunbird, at the feeder. He was ecstatic. Mornings had new purpose and joy. Their conversations expanded beyond birds to their life together. In her own way, she came to deeply love the birds that visited, especially the green parrot who started it all. Of course this all took time and the wife took some convincing, but it happened. Please do look up the article and read it.

Now this may sound quite Pollyanna, but I know, I know, birds and animals have an ability to provide peace inside each of us and pull us all closer.

I’ve told the story of how my dad, living in a skilled nursing facility, told me in great detail about the bird activity of his window feeder each time I visited. It gave him joy and purpose and we had something fun to talk about.

Right now I’m looking out at the feeder under the big shore pine. An extended family of goldfinches is gathered with this year’s chickadees and nuthatches. All are cheerfully conversing, picking one seed at a time, flying off then drifting back. It’s hypnotic. On the ground the towhees, brilliant brick red and black, scuttle in and out of the heather to glean the fallen seed. I can feel my chest loosen, muscles relax. It really can be that easy.

The shadows are lengthening and there is a nice chill in the evening air. The summer birds will leave us soon; many have already begun their long migratory journey. But others will stay with us, like the chickadees, and the juncos will soon appear, thriving in the rain and chill.

A feeder and some seed is small payment for the joy of watching them. We will share good weather and bad, making our way through life together.

Red the Times’ story at tinyurl.com/NYT-bird-story.