I talk a lot about birds. Why? Because I like birds. There are a lot of different kinds, and birding is one of the most popular extra-curricular activities for adults. One out of three Americans list birding as a hobby. Also, birding has been a popular activity for a long time. Here is an example.

In a column written in May of 1885 in the Burnett Blade, a newspaper published in Tilden, Nebraska, there was a report about birds very similar to what I write in the Village Naturalist. On the outset, the author of the column explains why he is writing about birds by saying, “We have found it (birding) more interesting than politics and perhaps so may our readers.” That may also be true today.

The author talks about catbirds calling them a “sly intelligent fellow”, as well as blackbirds, and brown thrashers. He laments that there very few “yellow- hammers”, what we call northern flickers, along the Elkhorn River as compared to some locations along the South Platte River.

His tally of robins is only two and he states that yellow and brown wrens are everywhere. The yellow wren is probably a yellow warbler, and the brown wren is probably a house wren. He states that kingfishers are rare, but blue jays are abundant.

The author hadn’t seen any orioles as yet, but that isn’t surprising, as they would just be returning from their winter homes at the time of his article. There were numerous redheaded woodpeckers, but the “bee martin” was scarce. The “bee martin” is an eastern king bird. He states about the “bee martin” that “they live chiefly by fighting…”, and if you’ve ever had an eastern king bird nest in your yard you can verify that…they fight with each and every other bird and also people! They typically sit on a tree branch and they fly out to catch an insect. They will also fly out and attack you while you walk by…very aggressive!

The author concludes that just 16 years prior (1869) there were only about 1/3 the number of songbirds now in the region and he states that most birds are the “farmer’s friends” and urges people not to drive them away.

Habitat is the key to having songbirds. All of our trees and bushes provide significant habitat for a wide diversity of birds. My backyard bird list, which contains only the birds that I’ve seen in my yard, contains 62 different species. They aren’t all here at the same time, and it has taken 30 years to get that many, but I can sit outside at this time of year and let my Merlin app. on the phone listen for the various singing birds and I will get a list of 6 – 10 different birds in no time.

Yep, fun, and lots of people do it so you have a number of individuals to compare your birding list with. Also, it is good for the economy. It is estimated that the average birder will spend up to $1,000 a year on equipment, travel, bird feeders with cameras, and bird seed. And maybe the best part, unlike politics we don’t have blue birders and red birders and you won’t find a couple of birders arguing over some trivial topic of birding!