How quickly the seasons come and go. Some days I find it hard to believe that summer days are quickly fading and that cooler fall like days are popping up more often here and there. Stepping outside for some fresh air, one can feel our lovely warmer seasons quietly slipping away a little bit more each day.
The time change shifts the seasonal changes into overdrive it seems...darker later in the morning and darker earlier in the evening.
After all of its abundant gifts of colorful beauty, summer does deserve to be able to wind down for a much-deserved long winter's nap. All of the fading above ground parts of the flowers and seed pods become food for insects and animals to eat and store for the long winter. Below the surface the roots all cuddle together for a nice nap...thinking about the next time they will feel the sun warming the soil and they will again feel like peeking their heads out. But for now, time to rest and reflect.
All of the once fresh green leaves of the trees have started to go through their annual seasonal display of color change. We witness a beautiful spectrum of colors here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. When the dried leaves settle on the ground, it becomes habitat for insects and mulch for the perennial plants.
Our current weather is mostly mild, some sunny days with a cloud covering and a sprinkle here and there. I am sure that the experienced sages in wildlife have passed down the much-needed information to the younger members about preparing for the cold season ahead. I wonder how exactly this information is passed down. Through observation or is it just ingrained for the survival of their species.
One of my favorite year-round activities is watching birds and squirrels. You get to know your daily visitors and look forward to seeing them each morning. I have situated a table right outside of my full glass kitchen door so that I can watch the daily visits of a familiar variety of birds and squirrels. I keep my bags of bird feed right inside the door and always fill a container on my way out...I mound the seed mix onto this table and call to my daily visitors. I am sure that they pretty much know the sound of the door and are waiting somewhere nearby. We have several other hanging feeders on posts on our fence and deck that attract smaller birds like Chickadees and Nut Hatches. I think that they feel much more comfortable picking up seeds without the larger birds and squirrels looming about.
Each morning as I go out to feed our chickens, I hear a familiar signal from a Blue Jay that knows my schedule. He is signaling me to not forget his peanuts. So, every day, sometimes several times a day, I scoop out a peanut, fruit, black sunflower seed mixture for my friends. I always top off the seed mixture with a handful of peanuts in their shells. These are a favorite of the Blue Jays and the squirrels. After feeding everyone, I go back into the house and stop for a moment to watch the activity on this table before I begin my day.
The squirrels eat some of the mix and peanuts right on the table and then seem to also take some and disappear for a while. They creep down to the table from the nearby pine trees, kind of walk around the top of the table for a while and then settle down with a peanut or a piece of the dried fruit. When the Blue Jays drop down onto the table, if a squirrel is there snacking, the squirrel will jump up onto the fence or up into our nearby pine trees. They do not go very far away...after all, it will be his turn next once the Blue Jay flies off. There are several squirrels that don't seem to mind each other's company. This table generally seems to be 'a table for one', but, when there are two squirrels tolerating each other's presence, I assume they must be nest mates. When the Blue Jays land on the table, they look left, look right and then grab a peanut and immediately fly away. Sometimes though they will drop their first choice of a peanut and then choose another...I wonder what was wrong with the first one...did a squirrel touch it? Not sure how many Blue Jays that we have feeding at our table. Either there are several of them or one very busy one that is eating and storing many peanuts. I can't imagine that one Blue Jay can eat so many whole peanuts so quickly, so hopefully they are not being fool hardy and are putting up some of the peanuts in their larder for winter eating.
Occasionally we will see migrating birds stopping in for a seed snack before they continue on their long journey. I hope that they get their fill, rest up for a moment and then be on their way as the harsh, snowy season cannot be far behind.
I will put seed and snacks out year-round. I don't care who eats them. If they are hungry, I am glad to feed them. I don't notice as many visitors stopping by in the summer months. Hopefully they are receiving their food from more natural sources. I am more than happy to feed them when their natural food sources are harder for them to harvest under inches of snow. So, all are welcome at my bird feeding table...there are daily specials for all customers.
