Every year it’s the same. Within the same week, sometimes within a day or two, my snowbirds leave and my catbirds return. They must both get the same weather report or whatever it is that makes birds come and go.
I had a large flock of snowbirds this year – maybe 20 in all and they practically camped out beneath my feeders. I made sure to toss them some extra seeds on the ground since they rarely fly up to a feeder. A week ago, they were still here, and I wondered.
Then, yesterday, the snowbirds had all gone, and I saw my first catbird. He was in the rear of the yard, close to where he (or she) always nests. A returnee, I assumed. And it was. That evening when I went out to sit beside the pond, he hopped right up to me, as in years past, and begged for a mealworm or two. It just so happened that I had a container with me, hoping to entice a bluebird. So, I tossed a few on the patio and he quickly gobbled then up, then made a soft chirp, which I assumed meant he wanted seconds, and I obliged.
I am confused about my bluebirds this year. I’m having a hard time getting them to find the bowl with mealworms and that’s never been a problem. They often stay away from the nesting box, especially the male, which is highly unusual. I think they are young birds and I’m not confident in their abilities to successfully nest, but maybe they’ll figure it out. I also saw my first hummingbird this week, probably just passing through. My hummers don’t usually settle in until June.
We’ll see. In the meantime, I have 5,000 mealworms in my refrigerator that I hope to be able to distribute to somebody.
