Ann and I have tried through several years to make our front and back yards a place inviting to birds. That does not mean we have a "Front Cover" setting for Better Homes and Gardens. Far from it. Those kind of yards are beautiful and attractive to people, but not necessarily birds.
The yard has been a bit of a success. We do have birds year-round. We have the winter hummingbirds.Rufous and buff bellied. There are American Goldfinches on the feed sacks made for them. Cardinals, titmice, dove, and woodpeckers are frequent visitors. There are also house sparrows! Scads of them! When you put out the welcome mat for birds it means all of them.
This week another bird has found a place in the lemon tree. It puts him about six feet from the bird bath and feeders. He is also about ten feet from the kitchen window. He is a beautiful bird, but a killer. You can see it in his eyes. He/she is a sharp shinned hawk. They love birds as much as we do, but for a different reason. When I first saw "Sharpie" he was on the ground, finishing off his meal for the moment. The feathers left seemed to say, "titmouse". I had hoped it was a sparrow.
Sharpie has been back to that location. He seems to like the arrangement.
What do we do? We say to the birds, "ya'll come". Now can we say "ya'll come, except sharpies and sparrows? Ya'll come except starlings and grackles and red-winged blackbirds?." Do we become an "elite" yard, only welcoming the best dressed and mannerly birds who do not scatter our feed or eat it all in one setting? If we are truly interested in reaching birds we must be open to each and all, no matter their manners or lack of them.
I wonder if this has implications and applications outside the bird kingdom? I think it does.
