by Patti Muzny
In the aftermath of the devastating May storms, it’s so incredibly amazing to observe the healing, not only from those generous human spirits who are helping their communities to rebuild their homes and their lives, but also Mother Nature’s role in this saga.
The last tornado skipped right over our south Oklahoma City home, leaving only a few twigs scattered in the yard, but we lost power from Friday evening to Sunday around noon. Without electricity there were not a lot of projects I could do, and the weather was beautiful, so I did a lot of recharging on the back patio.
Saturday morning dawned cool and very soggy but the spirits of our backyard birds were not dampened. I had sprinkled some pecan bits on the patio table and our Bewick’s Wren immediately claimed them and in between singing his little beak off, he stuffed himself on pecan crumbles. The Cardinals soon followed suit and added a bit of cheerful color to the soggy landscape. Another visitor to the pecan stash was the Mockingbird. So I added picking out diminutive native pecans to my list of duties I could do without electricity! Cracking pecans seemed to be good emotional therapy after the storms.
I was so ecstatic to see that our Martins were not harmed by the fierce wind, rain and hail. We’ll never know how that flimsy Martin house managed not to blow down. The Phoebe was up early and calling and the Mockingbird was adding its songs to the chorus. The first Yellow-crowned Night Herons of the season flew over the yard and scolded anything and everyone who was within hearing range. The Mississippi Kites soared overhead and even landed in one of our pecan trees for a little romantic interlude. Immediately after the storm, our Robin pair began to rebuild their nest. An 8-inch rain does not do good things to the robin’s mud-based nest. Where do these fragile feathered creatures go when the weather becomes so brutal? Life definitely does go on and for that I am grateful.
Later in the week I saw and heard a Brown Thrasher singing its beautiful twice-repeated songs. Love those birds! House Finches were singing and of course, the English Sparrows were alive and well.
Hopefully we will all have a beautiful summer, stay safe and enjoy our feathered friends.