Nature in the City

Birdwatching? Yeah, that was never for me. For one, I was not patient enough to sit and search for the always bashful birds hiding in the trees. Secondly, holding up binoculars is kind of tiring to my arms. Thirdly, there are much more exciting and larger creatures to excite me, like foxes and goats and pikas. And lastly, isn't it for old people?

Some of my fondest memories of my grandparents was staying the night at their house and falling asleep to National Geographic bird programs on the T.V. My grandpa would carry my sleepy self to bed and then I would wake up the next morning to my grandma making Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. My grandma was the birdwatcher. There were always binoculars sitting in the dining room window seal waiting to be snatched up to make a rare sighting in the backyard. She had bird books on the shelves, a lovely birdbath right outside the window and bird-feeders galore encircling the house. My grandparents had an open field for a view from their back windows with prime creature watching.

My view from the city apartment is a little different from my grandparents', to say the least. We are very lucky to have trees surrounding most of the apartment, which makes for a pleasant view compared to other apartment dwellers' view spying into other windows and I admit that I would be the last to say I would ever see any wildlife from our home. However, I am happy to say I was wrong.

One afternoon this past spring while tending to the porch garden I kept noticing hummingbirds fluttering about and acting brave enough to fly and pause within a foot of me. I was intrigued and kept watch. Not a moment later one of the hummers landed in the tree a few feet from where I was standing on the porch.

Hummer in trance

My eyes grew larger when I saw the hummer perch on it's nest. "A nest! Hummer babies! What a fantastic surprise in the city!" I immediately thought. So, for 2 weeks Tyler and I were on hummer patrol, binoculars and all. The eggs incubate for 2-3 weeks while the mother keeps them warm in a trance-like state during the night. The female returned to the nest every evening before the sun went down. We watched and waited (impatiently) to hear lil' chirps.

But, disaster struck.

Just as I was getting my hopes up for baby hummers to hatch soon, Tyler made his morning round to the porch and...gasp! The nest was torn apart on the ground. No eggs or mother bird. We were in a mild depression for days. Our nature in the city was gone. It made me think of the National Geographic moments I saw as a young girl visiting my grandparents. Food chain, cycle of life, whatever. I didn't like it.

Although my first birding experience has a sad ending, it did peak my interest in birding and helped me better understand my bird loving grandma. What I most appreciate about birdwatching is that it is a sport that you can do almost anywhere. City or country. I have even started reading about them. "Red Tails in Love" by Marie Winn is a great read chronicling a bird watchers dream in Central Park. And recently I spotted a red tail hawk flying across the street and if you read the book you would understand how excited I was. Tyler even benefited from my new hobby; he received a birding book for his birthday. I am not sure why he says I sometimes gift him presents that are really for us BOTH and not just HIM. Hmmm.

Happy birding and please share any city birding experiences you may have!

Marci