My concrete birdfeeder

It's actually a piece of concrete that juts out of the ground. It's about eighteen inches high and it's round. For a long time, I didn't know what it was. Because it is shallow in the center like a bowl, I decided to use it as a place to put bird seed. There's a small tree nearby with overhanging limbs, convenient for the birds to land on, then drop down to the feeder.

I learned from a previous owner that beneath this round concrete pillar, there's an abandoned storm shelter. It has been filled with concrete. All that remains is the part that juts up from the ground.

It didn't take the birds long to find the feeder.

Yesterday a pair of redbirds were walking around the perimeter, helping themselves to sunflower seeds.

Once, the bright red male reached over to the female and poked something into her mouth, perhaps a tidbit she liked.

There's also a pair of mourning doves that show up from time to time. They also perch on the feeder and eat some of the wild birdseed. Often they walk around in the grass and peck at the ground.They apparently like the seed because they appear at the feeder at least once a day.

Starlings, too, steal a seed or two but they don't linger. I used to tap on the kitchen window and scare them away, but I don't bother anymore. They like to eat too.

Yes, squirrels like the seeds and they can empty the feeder in a couple of days if I don't scare them off.

One day seeing a squirrel helping itself to the seeds, I added a half dozen unshelled pecans just to see how the squirrel would react.

He picked up one pecan, held it in its two front feet, rolled it around, then poked it in its mouth, then took off with its prize. He scampered across the lawn, climbed a fence, then hurried down the top of the fence, out of sight. Soon it was back to get another pecan. By day's end, there were no pecans in the feeder. The squirrel had stockpiled all of them.

After a rain when the seeds got wet, I've seen birds reaching into the water to retrieve a watersoaked seed. They don't let a little water keep them from eating.

I don't remember when I first enjoyed birds and watching their comings and goings.

I remember that a landlady in Indiana sparked my interest when she hung suet filled bags in trees for her birds. We talked about birds and how they need a helping hand in the wintertime.

In the country house west of town, I always enjoy sitting on the deck watching bluebirds build their nests. A blue heron often walks along the pond bank fishing for breakfast.

Hanging above my desk is a large 2010 wall calendar that depicts various birds. The calendar is a work of art, a gift from my daughter.

For the month of May there's a gorgeous photo of an Eastern bluebird, my favorite songbird. The bright blue back, red-orange throat and white underbelly of the male is striking.

The bluebird was once a victim of a declining population due to habitat destruction, nest predators, and pesticides The bluebird was rescued in large part by an effort to erect nesting boxes in suburban yards. Bluebirds enjoy bathing in a birdbath, splashing and dipping on a hot summer day..

For the month of June, my calendar depicts a male scarlet tanager.

Each month there's a large photo of a single bird perched on a tree limb.

My neighbor has a couple of martin houses in his yard.

If you walk outdoors in the morning, you can hear the martins chirps and trills.

Purple Martins are beneficial birds that control annoying insects like mosquitoes, beetles, flies, moths and dragonflies.

A single martin eats thousands of mosquitoes in a single day but that isn't its main food. These aerial acrobats are members of the swallow family. They catch insects from the air and prefer communal nesting in apartment houses.

Purple Martins really aren't purple at all. The male is glossy deep blue, almost black.

Now I don't claim that birds aren't messy.

Some make a mess if they decide to build a nest on your carport rafters or over your walkway.

Nevertheless they are beneficial and interesting to watch.

God's creatures.