by DJ Featherton
Ok, the coronavirus has been around long enough to make us all nuts, and even change our daily routines and ways of living. Some of these changes have been positive and creative. A friend of mine teaches at the local university and has a few acres on the edge of town. In the past, I’d introduced him to birding. Now, with his large and beautifully treed backyard and his new work-at-home schedule, his birds and backyard are getting top attention. This is truly an example of birding, backyard and beyond.
Typically, it all started with too much activity in the house to get his professional work done, boredom from a lack of social contact, and a desire to create. It began with a small, open picnic-like pavilion. with a little, enclosed office space on the end. Menard’s came out to plant a half-dozen 6×6 treated upright timbers and a few trusses left open with a metal roof. A simple concrete patio floor finished the cute and rustic looking backyard pavilion. A few 2×4 studs covered with 1×12 boards from packing crates that were given away at the local Trane A/C company made a perfect little office space. Old-fashioned strings of lights were hung from the open trusses and made the shelter enjoyable at night. He’s talking about a fireplace, but maybe another time. For now, a picnic table, a few yard chairs and his favored Weber smoker-grill finished the job. Simple, cheap, and quick. Talk about birding, backyard and beyond!
Another project he and his family have fallen in love with are decorative raised gardens for both flowers and veggies for the table. A raised bed is a real shortcut to an easy-to-care-for garden that promises a plentiful harvest. Flowers are easy to tend, and there’s no end to what creativity can do. Simple raised-garden boxes of any size and shape can be purchased at the major home supply stores, or ordered off the Internet. Four nicely placed 4’x6′ boxes with a walkway between each keeps the family rewarded, and the birds don’t mind a bit.
Now that the backyard provides more lifestyle and involvement, work at home is not so bad. His birdbath with solar bubbler keeps the birds watered, and an array of feeders, filled with all of the birds’ favorite food, in strategic locations make a delightfully active bird community. What a beautiful and productive backyard for the entire family, and it certainly beats too much TV. It’s also an inexpensive and creative way to enjoy home, especially during our days with the virus. This is a good example of what many of us can do. It’s birding, backyard and beyond at it’s best!
