For the last fifteen years we have lived in a condominium. That means we have no yard to speak of. We grow a few things–tomatoes, hot peppers, basil–in containers that sit on a slab of cement. A few years ago we added a pergola, though it is probably not spelled that way, from which we hang a container of bird seed and sugared water for hummingbirds. We have another bird feed for goldfinches.
We’ve not had much luck in attracting the birds. We forget to freshen the hummingbird feed, run out of bird seed, and so on. But this year we decided to do better. Lo and behold, the little guys are visiting us regularly. Last night we saw four hummingbirds (ruby-throated) around the feeder. We had a flock of (pesky) house sparrows that steal the sunflower seeds from the cardinals and mourning doves. We have had goldfinches hourly is seems, and a white-breasted nuthatch has been a regular visitor.
For those of you with a backyard and lots of feeders, I know this isn’t much. But for us, it has been a record year and we have enjoyed our feathered friends. To date, I’ve not seen a Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned hawk fly in and make an escape with a meal, but I expect that time will be coming.
