Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and singing his song. All the little birdies on Jaybird Street Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet… “Rockin Robin” Lyrics

Spring is bursting forth here and all’s a-hoppin’ and a-boppin’ with our backyard filled with birds and their beautiful and harmonious cacophony. Dawn’s first light starts the daily chorus … red birds, blue birds, yellow birds … a colorful collection gathers each day announcing their presence and compete to be heard above the glorious racket.

The tiny Canyon Wren’s very loud song is usually the first wake-up call heard every morning from the rafters; quickly followed by the ear-opening Golden-crowned Woodpecker’s high-pitched, screechy call to one another and their rat-a-tat-tat pecking; Purple Finches’ lovely warbling; Great-tailed Grackles with their deep range of unusual and unique vocals; the gorgeous Great Kiskadees sing and call out to each other from high up in the treetops. This great audio songfest plays out as each lays claim to their territory.

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Mama and papa birds are busy feeding their newborns – baby finches and hummingbirds can be heard from their nests in the palm trees and bougainvillea, pleading for nourishment. Our hummingbird feeder becomes a free-for-all as upwards of 8-10 birds compete for a coveted spot.

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Our new fountain acts like a magnet in attracting so many birds. From inside our bedroom, David sits at his desktop and gets to observe the bathing spa throughout the day. It’s fun to watch their initial trepidation, but once bathing, they splish-splash about.

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At a peak moment, David heads outside, becoming a silent predator as he patiently stalks and aims his telephoto lens to capture our daily visitors digitally. He never knows from day-to-day who might fly in. Afterward, he spends time using his sources online or cross-references with bird guides to identify the newbies.

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Not so easy … as the male of the species is decidedly more flamboyant than his female counterpart; the young vs. the mature; shape and size of beaks; wing and body colorations; overall size … all these things to consider. Some species are very similar to one another. When all else fails, he contacts the Lake Chapala Birders to help ID his finds. They informed him there are an astounding 300 + species to be found lakeside (waterfowl is a whole big category in itself).

Three of my favorite birds are:

The little Canyon Wren, and its larger-than-life morning wake-up song.

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The Golden-crowned Woodpecker, frantically tapping Morse codes on the palm trees.

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The Hooded Oriole, who has discovered the hummingbird feeder. It’s amazing to watch his acrobatics in tipping the feeder to release the sugar water.

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I’ve been enjoying my early morning coffee sitting outside on our terrace and taking in the sounds of nature, and not being drowned out by human forces. The hummingbirds are a show in itself as they vie for a spot at the feeder.

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A variety of our backyard visitors

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In these tumultuous times there is one thing that never wavers, HOPE.

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