Like many young people, I thought my grandpa might have some kind of magic. You see, he was one of those people who seemed to be friends with the birds in a way not many of us are. He could merely step out into his yard and with a few quick whistles summon all varieties of backyard birds to his palm or his shirt pocket, where they would enter into a conversation of chirps and intense eye contact that fascinated me. To be honest, looking back I’m still fairly certain that it was some sort of magic. Even through the rose colored glasses of childhood, I know deep in my bones that he understood something of nature that many people do not. Could he have known that these moments he spent with me and the birds, carving whistles from fallen horse chestnuts, would become a part of my own origin story as a naturalist? Far from an expert though I might be, he showed me what it meant to be a student of nature long before I grew my own garden or made my own companions in the rabbits and toads that keep me company as I sow, weed and water. I learned from him that all wildlife has value, no matter how small. That bird song deserves our attention. And of course, I learned that feeding birds is just plain fun.

Why have a bird feeder? Here’s some of the benefits of backyard birds in your yard: