Der spring is sprung
Der grass is riz
I wonder where dem boidies is?
Given our mild climate, we have an abundance of birds year-round. Some may winter here, while others—mockingbirds, mourning doves, blue jays, cardinals, a variety of finches and sparrows, and of course the ducks, geese, seagulls, and other aquatic types down by the bay—can be seen anytime. I doubt that any make this their summer home, but some species can be seen briefly on their way to more temperate regions in the spring. One of the most thrilling and memorable events of my life was seeing a huge flock of indigo buntings massed in my neighbor’s driveway. It was what a writer friend of mine calls a “haiku moment,” and in fact I wrote a haiku about it:
Chicken Little’s Prophecy Fulfilled
The sky has fallen.
Bright blue pieces on the ground—
Indigo buntings.
Even before we moved over here from Mobile in 1980, we noticed a sign on the way into town declaring Fairhope a bird sanctuary. Presumably there were ordinances on the books protecting birds in some way, but nothing seemed to be done to actively promote them. A few years ago, however, the City put up several purple martin “apartment houses” on the bluff overlooking the bay. More recently, a string of bluebird nesting boxes was mounted on trees along the bluff. If you build it, will they come?
Despite reports that these domiciles were being used, I was dubious. I’ve seen birds “catching their breath” on the balconies of the purple martin houses, but none that appeared to be purple martins (the one I saw today looked a lot more like a starling). But this morning as I walked down the street along the bluff, my attention primarily on the two small boys working to get kites aloft in the stiff breeze, a flash of color caught my eye: from the brief glimpse I got, it was almost certainly an Eastern bluebird. I believe this may be the first time I’ve ever seen one, which is satisfying enough in itself, but it does also offer evidence that perhaps the City’s efforts are not wasted.
