The word awesome is sometimes overused these days. That's too bad, because it should be reserved for something magnificent -- something such as the glimpse of wildlife in its natural habitat.
That's why we put up birdfeeders and have visited nature preserves and wildlife refuges. The feeders have paid off: Who would have thought that a rose-breasted grosbeak or an indigo bunting would show up in OUR yard? Yet, there they were.
There are other reasons for viewing wildlife. Animals shy away from us, so there's a natural mystery about them. There's a challenge to make some kind of connection with them, even if it's just to see them while we peer out the kitchen window.
Wildlife have wild lives and personalities that can surprise us. Black-capped chickadees practice the avian form of take-out: fly in, pick seeds and take off, almost in an instant, to perch elsewhere and eat. (They probably grab-and-run to avoid predators.) Some sparrows are very particular, landing at a feeder and using their beaks to knock to the ground seeds that are figuratively, and now literally, beneath them.
The best part about watching wildlife is that it is fun. Take a look at the sandhill cranes to the right. While three are focused, their mates are caught in entertaining positions, almost as if they were keeping the mood light-hearted.
You don't discover these things if you don't watch.
Getting to know wildlife helps us appreciate them, understand their challenges and gives us new perspectives. We learn how decisions we make can affect them (do we really need to spray that toxic pesticide for an ultra-green lawn? do we really need to cement over a section of the backyard? do we really need another strip mall?). It gives us reasons to speak up for wildlife.
We also consider helping wildlife as a way to give animals what people have taken away: their habitat. We rob them of places to live by persistent construction of houses and shopping centers and waterparks, and by continuously polluting waterways and the air -- so why not offer them something in return by setting up nesting boxes or creating backyard habitat?
We decided to do more than just watch, however. This website has several pages devoted to our monitoring of a bluebird trail, or route, in western Kenosha County during the summer of 2005. There was some hesitation at first at getting involved. We weren't modern scientists or avian specialists or even loaded with free time to devote to such a project.
We discovered none of those things were necessary. Setting up bluebird nesting boxes was easy. We needed 90 minutes to travel the trail, peek into the boxes and make sure everything was okay.
By the end of the summer, we realized that this was less a project than a fun and rewarding activity.
Maybe there are others who hesitate in helping wildlife because they, too, think it might be difficult or time-consuming or require advanced training.
If so, maybe they will see this website -- and get rid of such wild ideas.
Sam, Aaron
and John K.
Did you know?
Attracting and watching wildlife in your backyard and elsewhere is easy. The best route is to visit the library or use the Internet to look for books and magazines on the subject. There are plenty of websites that offer tips on creating habitat in backyards too.
Also, search for information about wildlife refuges, Important Bird Areas and festivals such as the Whooping Crane Festival in Necedah, Wis. or eagle-watching days that are organized along the Mississippi River in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and along the Wisconsin River through Sauk City and Prairie du Sac. Bird and animal magazines often have ads giving details about such gatherings.
There are stores that specialize in feeding and housing birds that can help, also.
"Our Favorite Lynx" webpage includes websites that offer details on some of those topics.
There's a lot to discover out there.
Enjoy.
So what's the big deal about attracting and watching wildlife?
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