Birds First

Today we had some tree work done. We had some trees taken down, others limbed up, and some thinned, especially in a lovely grove of pine trees where we will have a lunaform pot we ordered for our wedding anniversay come to live. The tree workers suggested we take the "unsightly limbs" off the big pine pictured here. But the naturalist and bird lover in us said no, the pine was important because it provided great perches for birds. It also provided great bird watching opportunities for us, as birds come in and land there before they come to the feeder or to get the lay of the land. We have seen so many birds on those perches, everything from Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, who have designs on our feeder birds, to Mourning Doves who chow down at the feeders then rest and digest on the perches of the big pine. Mr. Cardinal, new on our property, is now singing from them.

So after a lot of discussion we reached a compromise. We would have the arborist carefully prune the limbs that hid the mountain ridgeline, then leave some artistic limbs for perching, because the birds come first.

All photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006