The surface of our lives is not as smooth as it used to be. Secluded in our homes, we look each day for new opportunities to connect with the outside world. Although the marvels of computers and cell phones succeed in making this connection possible, in our dependence on technology for work, entertainment, and children’s studies, it is possible that we have overlooked a source of solace and stimulation right outside our windows.
Nature has always had the power to fascinate and refresh. Fortunately, it is not necessary to travel to exotic locales, or even local parks, to enjoy it. Common backyard birds flitting among the trees and bushes are a world unto themselves, and both adults and children are captivated by observing them and learning about their lives.
Why birds? Well, for one thing, they are familiar. People tend to feel a deep pleasure upon recognizing things that they encounter. Especially in these uncertain times, familiar things provide a sense of comfort and calm. Plants and animals are fascinating as well, but birds, soaring on the wind’s hidden highways, carry with them a sense of freedom that we can only dream of at the moment. Many people do in fact dream about flying, envying the birds’ ability to move in all directions with only the slightest of effort.
Birds may be classified as our “sung” heroes as their melodious voices announce the arrival of spring each year. There is pleasure in recognizing the different birds that visit us daily and appreciating their variety and beauty, yet we hardly know one bird from another, let alone their individual habits and personalities. Let’s learn about birds.
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From the very first time that birds are mentioned in the Chumash, the different species exhibit their own motivations and loyalties. The raven that Noach originally sent to search for dry land after the flood was disappointing in its hesitancy to fly a great distance from the ark. The dove, on the other hand, chose to fly to the absolute end of its strength in order to discover whether the waters of the flood had receded enough to give the world a new start.
Indeed, each species of bird is unique, not only in its outward appearance but also in its personality and habits. Perhaps now, with arrival of warmer weather, when the birds are visiting our yards more frequently – and as we spend more time staring out the window – we can learn to identify our feathered friends and become acquainted with our neighbors in nature.
Robins are easily identifiable by their red bellies and can often be seen on the grass looking for insects and worms to eat. They also like to eat small berries from bushes. It takes them less than a week to build their nests; the male and female work together to gather material, but then only the female actually constructs the nest to her liking. Robins lay between three and four of their signature light-blue eggs as early as April and they hatch only two weeks later. The young birds will stay in their nest for around five weeks, during which time they grow flight feathers and learn how to fly.
The male cardinal – all red except for a black mask around the eyes and throat – is one of the most spectacular birds in our northern latitude. The females are a duller, orange/tan color. Both sport a tufted feather peak on their head. When you spot the vividly-colored male, look around for its mate. She is nearly always close by. Although the male bird is usually the only one that sings, the female cardinal often sings while sitting in her nest. She is likely communicating with her mate while he is off looking for food, maintaining and strengthening their bond.
Our very own Baltimore oriole is a stunning black and orangey-yellow. Orioles eat nectar and fruits and can be attracted to your yard with a treat of a cut orange set out in a birdfeeder or hung from a branch. They also eat insects and caterpillar larvae, providing us with the valuable service of preventing hordes of juvenile caterpillars from growing into hungry adults, which would cause tremendous damage to the local trees. The oriole is our state bird, as well as the inspiration for our baseball team’s name and uniform.
Ravens are also commonly found in Baltimore and are noisy, industrious birds. They live happily alongside humans as they are able to eat a wide variety of scraps that people discard. They will even raid garbage cans, tearing open bags that were left as enticing advertisements for a “free lunch.” If you look skyward around sunset time, you may see hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ravens flying towards their night’s “lodging.” During the day, they scatter into the various neighborhoods among which they seem to rotate. At night they gather in the hundreds to spend the night in a few adjacent trees. You will hear them raucously discussing their day before falling asleep and again in the morning before taking off for their “feeding grounds.” One raven was immortalized in Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Raven,” written in 1845, which is where Baltimore’s football team got its name. Unknown to many fans, the team’s mascot is not one raven, but three: one is named “Edgar,” another is “Allen,” and a third is “Poe” in honor of our city’s world-famous poet.
Blue jays are perhaps the most intelligent birds that visit us, working together in groups to chase away predators. They also work together to keep other birds away from food, yet they are beneficial to the feathered community by sounding the alarm when a predator is nearby. They eat insects and nuts and are recognizable by their bold blue feathers. The black ring of feathers around their necks varies greatly and might help you tell them apart.
House sparrows love to live around humans, gathering in parking lots and parks, waiting for people to drop a few crumbs. They prefer nesting in man-made spaces, such as an opening in a pole for traffic lights or in a corner of a covered driveway. House sparrows have grey foreheads, white cheeks, and a black neck. Their black- and brown-striped backs make them challenging to spot when a crowd of them occupy a bush, but they are apparently not worried about being caught since they continue to chirp loudly. Nor do they stay still, swooping to new resting places as a group. They often take “dust baths,” throwing dust and loose soil over their feathers in order to absorb excess oil that would otherwise ruin their smooth surface.
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One reason we dismiss learning more about our feathered friends is that they tend to appear and disappear so swiftly that we don’t fully grasp their presence before they are gone. It is for this reason that world-renowned poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow drew a parallel between birds and inspiration in his poem “Birds of Passage.” In the same way that birds dart in and out of sight, Longfellow proposed, good ideas tend to flit in and out of our grasp before we can close our fingers around the elusive material from which they are made. Another famous American poet, Emily Dickinson also used birds to represent positive emotions, writing, “Hope is a thing with feathers.”
Proceeding from poetry to science, let’s consider feathers. Birds are the only creatures adorned with this remarkable and unique form of body covering. Feathers are one of the factors that give them the ability to fly. They actually have three different kinds of feathers: an inner layer called down, which keeps the birds warm when the temperature drops; a layer of small feathers called contour feathers, which streamline the bird’s body; and long, stiff feathers on the bird’s wings and tail, called flight feathers, which allow the birds to catch the air currents and soar.
Amazingly, the feathers themselves are actually made of keratin, just like our fingernails. The edges of each strand that compose the feathers can “zip” together in order to maximize warmth, protection from the elements, and efficiency in flight. Birds spend a tremendous amount of time each day preening – running their beaks along and through their feathers in order to make sure that they are all “zipped” properly.
Birds can take off and land with ease, many flying up to 25 mph. That’s as fast as I drive down Park Heights! Of all creatures, only birds have mastered the art of flying to such an extent that some long-distance flyers can actually sleep while they are flying (as opposed to those of us who can only fly while we are sleeping). The secret to birds’ ability to fly goes beyond their feathers. Birds have extremely lightweight, hollow bones. This means that birds need less energy to overcome gravity’s tenacious pull. If their bones were solid, they would need more food and wouldn’t have time to eat enough each day to lift off the ground even once a week. In addition, their lungs actually extend into some of their hollow bones. In this way, birds are able to gain more oxygen with every breath they take, and oxygen is the key to unlocking the energy from the food they eat. More oxygen means more power to fuel their flight.
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It is interesting to note that our written words of kedusha, such as a mezuza, tefilin, and sefer Torah, are not written with a brush made of plant fibers or an inanimate pen; rather, they are written with a quill fashioned from a bird’s feather. Could it be that this is the way birds, the only creatures to deny the gravitational force that pulls the rest of us down, share with us their gift of flight? Birds have inspired people throughout the ages to dream, hope, and be inspired, and, with our new awareness of their unique qualities, our eyes can follow their paths skyward and our hearts can soar as well.
Debbie Glazer lives is Pikesville with her husband and seven children and teaches Language Arts in Bnos Yisroel High School. She can often be found either writing or reading and loves to share her passion for the written word with others.
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Homemade Birdfeeders
by Debbie Glazer
In addition to watching the birds that naturally come to visit your yard, you can also invite them to visit with a birdfeeder. You don’t need to buy special materials or kits; simply use items from around your home. A birdfeeder can be made from almost anything: a washed-out plastic milk bottle, a cereal box, a clean soda bottle, egg carton, etc. Just find a way to tie it to a branch and keep in mind that your feathered guests will need a perch to stand on. Make sure that there is nothing sharp sticking out of the birdfeeder and that they can’t get stuck inside. Fill your birdfeeder with crumbs or seeds. You can even simply cover the surface of a toilet paper tube with a thin layer of peanut butter, roll it in sunflower seeds and hang it up outside. Then relax and enjoy your feathered company.
When crafting your birdfeeder, please keep in mind that the squirrels in your area will be very appreciative of your efforts and will sample your bird food (as in, eat all of it!). Make sure that it is hung at least four feet away from any branch that squirrels could use as a platform from which to leap to your feeder. You can also attach a wide, circular rim or cone to the string above the food in order to prevent squirrels from climbing down to your birdfeeder. Alternatively, you can just accept the fact that the squirrel is likely smarter than we realize and will never walk away from a free meal. Worst case scenario: you will have constructed a perfectly functional squirrel feeder. Then again, they are also fascinating creatures to observe.
