My son’s abandoned stealthy, night-camouflaged, clawed cat drove the birds extinct in our yard. It used to team with many species that could be seen on our branches at any given time. I never appreciated their (largely non-migratory) company until one night last fall I awoke in the middle of the night with a sense of dread that I hadn’t heard any birds for a while. At that moment they became the most important things to me in the world. Absence, especially of our cardinal families, does make the heart grow fonder.

I promptly told my son he needed to come get his cat or else. But lo, his new landlord is highly allergic and will not allow it. Move in with your brother then! Silence means no. So we decided to give Sonic a chance to be domesticated indoors. So far he’s only gotten out once and only seems mildly annoyed at having to make do with our two other cats for entertainment.

I now have three almost squirrel-proof feeders, a heat sensitive wildlife cam, and a set of binoculars that came with a phone attachment I hope to figure out.

Four white winged doves, a few chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and juncos seem to have moved back in over the past month or so. I think the four yellow finches were just passing through. The cardinals, including one female, have made a few appearances, but seem to live next door. Their proportions make them awkward on most feeders, though I’ve seen them balance on the one with a small tray a couple of times. I throw food on the ground for them, but the squirrels get most of it.

Birds don’t have much body heat so I’ve only got one pic of a titmouse. We moved the camera closer but haven’t rechecked it yet, so stay tuned.

Robins must be migrating right now because this morning I awoke to hundreds of them chirping loudly outside my window. Here’s a video for sound with a few flying overhead. They’re no longer on the ground in front of me.