Hummingbird – Photo: L. Weikel

A Disturbing Observation

Over the course of the past two or three weeks, I’ve made a disturbing observation. All of a sudden the vast majority of our birds are gone.

Gone!

The weirdest thing is that they seemed to have ‘flown the coop’ within a day or so of the publication of an article that revealed that there are now 29% (which equates to 2.9 billion) fewer birds in the United States since 1970.

It’s as if the birds in our yard heard the news and decided to get the heck out of Dodge.

I may make a joke about it, but I’m actually profoundly concerned. And freaked out, to be honest, over what’s happening specifically in my yard.

Not For Lack of Food

Believe me, this cannot be blamed on me failing to fill the birdfeeders, either. I think that’s almost the worst part. Because that’s something that can easily be remedied.

I can tell it’s not even a case of them suddenly becoming shy and not wanting to visit the feeders while I’m on the porch (which has never been the case anyway), because even when I leave for the day or work inside, the feeders haven’t been touched – in hours.

Another Case of Noticing the Silence

I’ll have to go back and count how many posts I’ve written that contain references to or are all about the birds in our yard. As any of you who’ve been reading my posts throughout this 1111 Devotion/Act of Power extravaganza know, my birds are precious to me.

The weird thing is, just like the monotonous and relentless sound of autumn crickets and the irritating sound of dysfunction emanating from my refrigerator, the chatter, clatter, and flutter of the myriad birds that usually visit our feeders is something one takes for granted and almost – almost – grows immune to. But the silence would descend upon the feeders occasionally, and once I paid attention, I would almost always be able to track a hawk hanging out near the barn or on a telephone pole across the road.

Indeed, when I first started noticing the dearth of chirping going on at our feeders a few weeks ago, I commented to Karl that “there much be a hawk nearby.” It was weird, though. No matter how much I paid attention, I could not track a hawk. And the smaller birds that almost never leave the feeders for very long at all, sparrows and goldfinches, but also ALL my woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches are not here.

Freaking Out

Full disclosure? Just writing this post and enumerating even some of the birds I’ve been sharing my life with and realize are now missing is making my heart race.

Today? I kid you not, I saw ONE blue jay and ONE rather ragged looking goldfinch. THIS. IS. NOT. NORMAL.

Something feels like it’s sinking in with me. Is this something much larger than I realized? I don’t know, but I would like to ask all of you to check in on your feathered neighbors. Make a point of noticing whether your feeders are requiring fewer fill ups. Pay attention to who’s showing up in your vicinity.

I have a terrible feeling. Please, please, let this not be the beginning of our Silent Spring.

(T-786)