Jim Wright

Special to NorthJersey.com

Last month, at the onset of spring, I wrote about the joys of watching birds and gave several reasons why I’ve found the pastime so rewarding.

At the column’s end, I asked readers why they love birds. I have been getting replies ever since. With spring migration really picking up, now is a perfect time to share some of their responses.

Take Susan Winter of Wyckoff: “Birds begin my day,” she writes. “As I turn off the outside lights, open the back door and put on the coffee, the blue jays are already arriving with their cardinal compatriots on the railing of my deck, waiting. They have trained me well.

“Before anything else, I go onto the deck and spread out seed along the L-shaped railing. Before I even re-enter the back door, flocks of blue and red are swooping over their human-provided breakfast. I just lean over the sink, watching them with awe and admiration, and love, as they use their pecking order system to devour the seed. It's actually a race to get inside and watch before they've eaten the whole spread.”

Amy Lozak of Teaneck writes: “I love birds, and I hope one day to take a class in birding. They and other small signs of the seasons and natural world help me stay calm, and confer a measure of serenity during times of stress. Birds to me do indeed represent hope, like Emily Dickinson wrote.”

Connie Kazal of Hoboken: “For my birding buddies and me, birding is meditation, except outdoors and with birds (so even better!). Nothing focuses your mind and keeps you in the moment like standing at the edge of a field, listening and watching for the inevitable presence of birds. It's important to get out of the cities and away from people sometimes, to realize that there's all of nature out there, all that non-human life going about its business.”

Dottie Hiebing of Cedar Grove: “Birding relaxes me. It's almost like meditation. I look through binoculars and my brain is totally absorbed by these amazing creatures. I always come home with a fresh perspective."

Doris Stellingwerf of Ramsey: “My husband Al watches all our cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers and ‘tweety’ birds each morning from our kitchen breakfast table. They wait for him each morning, some sitting on our deck railing or perched on the three empty feeders, awaiting their daily breakfast. As he feeds his feathered friends, "Stumpy" the short-tailed squirrel and "Chipper" the chipmunk join the morning buffet. Such joy to begin a day of retirement with nature’s gift.”

Joan Dawson of Ringwood: “We are lucky enough to have a large window high off the ground on the edge of a forest. We attached suction cup bird feeders to the window. Our young grandchildren’s first few words have been "chick-a-dee" and "blue-jay." They know a cardinal is red and a goldfinch is yellow.”

Alice Leurck of Ramsey: “Birding is like searching for treasure, but you always find something.”

Ruth Wallo of Wayne: “I love birds because I was brought up by my Dad to watch and love birds. We always had bird houses and welcomed them in our yards. They were part of our world. We have a high-up deck that we use to cater to birds. close by,hanging on a tree branch, is a flowerpot bird house made by my late Dad. It has a hole just big enough to accommodate a wren. The wrens return every year and use this house. Bird- watching lets you enjoy nature from the comfort of your own home."

Arlene Ruddman of Elmwood Park: “My husband passed away in January. He always filled the bird feeders winter and summer because he loved watching the birds. I now have taken on this task. I enjoy watching the birds not only because they remind me of my husband, but because they remind me of God. Their beauty (just look at a male cardinal!), their habits, their way of protecting their little ones, their songs all tell me that God created them.”

Ginny Bargisen of Demarest: “I enjoy watching birds at my feeders and in my yard because it is relaxing, enjoyable, entertaining. I experience something new each viewing!”

Rosemarie Birdgenis of Brooklyn: “Over the years I've come to know several types of birds by sight and by sound, and I’ve discovered what my highest form of delight while birding is — hearing them. I call it ‘bird music.’ ”

The Bird-watcher column appears every other Thursday. Email Jim at celeryfarm@gmail.com.



