5538-R1_CIC_March2018_Calendar_Web

Marty’s Memories: Where Are the Birds? by Marty Trower

I’d almost forgotten about the birds. Once in a while I would spot a vigorous chickadee whipping past the ice-blurred kitchen window, fighting against the wind to land and eat from the feeder outside. Winter is usually a time to slow down and marvel at the birds, noticing their little behaviors for attaining food, their socialization with others, and admiring their plumage. I had not been seeing much activity this year. Yet, before the harsh weather really hit hard, I spent a lot of time devising ways to keep the squirrels from getting at the seed and storing it inside my house by chewing through anything in their way, ruining my house and, thus, my life. I stretched a clothesline from a hook near the kitchen window to the maple tree off but in front of the window, then across to a shepherd’s hook in the ground. I propped up the middle of the line with a tall branch with a “V” at the end at the spot where I could hang the feeder. That way I could lift the feeder up higher after I filled it. I had forgotten about the acrobatic skills and determination of the squirrel, of course. I should have known. Before long, I was gawking at an on-going performance of Cirque de Soleil proportions. He (?) would appear high up the tree, edging around the trunk, near where the clothesline had been wrapped and tied, tossing his head from side to side, then spring up and land on the line for just a second. You wouldn’t want to miss this part. He would dive from the tree to the line in one impulsive leap and travel at great speed, upturned—still hanging on with the tiny claws of all four feet—down to the feeder, where he would be whacked off by the impact and twirled into the air, landing daintily on his feet. This zip-line trip took about three seconds. I was laughing so hard that I never saw him race back up the

tree to do it all over again, but he must’ve because this act was repeated, again and again. I was so entertained I forgave him for his thievery and destruction. Another time I tried hanging the feeder way up in a high branch of that maple tree. I had to use my eight-foot ladder to get up there and hang it. I thought this was the answer, and I was pleased. But I forgot about the ladder when I went off in the car to do an errand. When I came home and glanced out at the tree, I saw one squirrel running up the ladder to the suspended feeder and one running back down, his cheeks bulging with bird seed. If squirrels have a sense of humor, I’ll bet they were having a great laugh on me this time. The thing I wonder is, was it the same squirrel performing these antics again and again or different ones? They all look alike to me. What about the birds? When the cardinals return, as they did for a short time this week, I talk to them as if they are “my” cardinals from last year, but are they? These could be new ones, because, again, they all look the same to me. I never name the birds who have been invited to come to the feeder, nor the squirrels who have not. Years ago, Jan Friis wisely stated that birds are the ideal pets because they can get their own food if you can’t provide it for them. I add that since we don’t tame and name birds and squirrels, they don’t really belong to us the way our cats and dogs do. They will not break our hearts when they pass on because they belong to the natural world and are part of a continuum that is not ours. It’s warmer now; snow is melting, dripping loudly. I can hear the birds talking and the squirrels scheming. Dr. Redmond of Casco Bay Chiropractic is coming to the Wellness Center on March 2 You can now have your chiropractic treatment right here on the island!

Call his office to schedule your appointment (829-1200), and let them know you would like to be seen on the island.

Dr. Redmond will be on vacation in April

9

MARCH 2018 CHEBEAGUE ISLAND COUNCIL CALENDAR