by T.Hoerner

Created on: June 15, 2008

It is March and the weather is blustery; as is usual for this time of year. I have the curtains drawn on a regular basis, since Eastern Colorado turns a horrible muddy brown this time of year, I rarely peek outside. It is a rare occasion the weather is calm enough to take a stroll, yet the sun shines on this day. We are busy baking our traditional Baska Bread for Easter and I find myself peeking over the half finished kitchen curtains frequently, sunshine catching my eyes. Remembering that spring is just around the corner, each gaze is a little longer than the last.

It isn't long before I see that birds have found their way to our backyard pond. I think to myself, "Finally!" and rejoice that spring is near. Within an hour, I am hovering near our back door watching these birds dart gracefully through the water fountain. I watch them feast hungrily on the wild bird seed I left out for the house finches that make their nests in our barn. I am noticing these birds are bright blue! There must be a dozen of them, roosting, flying, darting, swooping through the air, taking little sips of water and catching the bugs that have made an early appearance. I find these visitors quite unusual since on the Colorado plains, the most colorful bird I have seen is the pheasant. The rest of the birds blend with their surroundings, being you guessed it- muddy brown. They don't often catch the eye. I make note of the details of the birds and remind myself to be thankful for the short time I had to stop and notice what nature had to offer during that rare moment in late winter.
Later, I take the time to research our friendly birds. They only stayed in our back yard for two or three days before completely disappearing, not leaving a single feather as proof they were ever here. I'm thankful to have thought to take a couple pictures so I might better identify them when I had the time. Come to find out, if the right food and housing are present, these delightful birds will come to visit each spring along their way to the mountains; which is where they migrate to in the summer. In all the years we have lived on the Eastern Plains, we had just finished the pond and I had just decided to feed the finches so they would stay through the year. The timing was perfect! The Colorado Bluebirds are a complete side benefit. I can only hope that I can provide the correct invitation for next year!

Learn more about this author, T.Hoerner.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.