Birds and Squirrels

I don’t know who wrote this old poem, but it goes like this:

‘Neath a tall and spreading tree,

Birds and squirrels drink their tea.

Each one takes a dainty sup

From a tiny acorn cup.

The birds and squirrels that frequent my back yard feeders are not concerned with the niceties of eating. They don’t wait for afternoon tea to gorge on sunflower seeds nor do they drink from tiny acorn cups. The birds swoop down as a group and the squirrels–well, the squirrels are opportunists who feel they are entitled to the whole enticing spread. They plop their furry bottoms inside a feeder and dig in. The birds that are brave enough will eat at a feeder close to the squirrels but most of them, a little more cautious, simply wait until the gluttonous rodents scamper away.

Bluejays, however, don’t put up with much from the squirrels. The squirrels, who in all likelihood have guilty consciences about remembered nest robbings, have a healthy respect for the jays’ strong bills.

Birds, as well as the rest of God’s creatures, have unique eating habits. The little black-capped chickadee will take one seed at a time, fly to a near-by limb and delicately crack it open.  I have seen chivalrous male cardinals feed their female companions in a most gentlemanly manner. However, I confess I’m a little partial to the sparrows.Yes, I like those small brown-coated birds that are not the favorite of a whole lot of people. I like sparrows because they are friendly and chatty. They seem to fly together as families. They drop in to the feeders, never crowding other birds out, and simply eat wherever they can find a place. Their meal finished,  they fly as a group to the clump of honeysuckle vines on the back fence and talk things over. At the end of day, before night settles in, the sparrow family will snuggle  among the thickly-growing vines and chatter and chirp until sleep overtakes them. It seems to me that they must be sharing news of the day, the places they’ve been, the sights they’ve seen, and of course, where they can find the choicest meals.

So, the birds and squirrels of my acquaintance don’t need a tall and spreading tree and they do quite well without acorn cups. All they need is a full feeder and a willing admirer who is sure that the pleasure they bring her is pay enough for providing their daily backyard banquet.