Bird watchers, bird feeders -- we Minnesota macho types in walleye boats and blaze orange coats -- knew exactly what those little old lady bird huggers wore: tennis shoes.
Fortunately, you don't hear much of that disparaging stuff anymore in walleye boats or deer camps.
A couple of reasons, I suspect.
First, as the wildlife habitat squeeze continues across America, all of us -- tweety bird huggers to trophy buck slayers -- have slowly realized the common ground that binds us. For example, what makes up good habitat for the ringneck pheasant is also good for the meadowlark.
The second reason is: If you enjoy wildlife, the sight of a pileated woodpecker in the next tree is just as exciting as the sight of an 8-point buck behind the tree. OK, I mighty have exaggerated a little, but you get the point.
Show me a deer hunter who can't enjoy or appreciate the company of chickadees flitting amid the popples and I'll show you a blaze orange hat with nothing under it.
In my own case, the doorway to the wonders of wildlife was opened not by a common deer or squirrel but by a rose-breasted grosbeak, a common summer resident in Minnesota. I'll never forget the first time I saw one. And I'll never forget the lesson learned.
I had spent two decades in the presence of rose-breasted grosbeaks and had never seen one until I took a birding class. It was a vivid reminder that the wonders of nature are many, but if you don't go hunting for them, you'll never know.
That goes for birds. And bucks, too.
Five things you'll want to know about bird feeding:
1What's it all about?
Winter bird feeding? Hey, little chickadees, it's not about the birds.
Really.
Oh, the free handouts will fill a hungry belly or two (birds technically don't have a stomach; they have something called a crop), but don't think the tweety birds in your backyard are really depending on your generosity.
No, winter bird feeding is something we do for ... ourselves. No apologies necessary. Watching birds eat is ... well, winter entertainment.
Don't laugh.
Over many winters, Minnesotans have learned to make their own excitement, to spice their wintry lives with whatever it takes. Watching a bobber go down a hole in the ice is about as exciting as it gets, don't you know.
Ditto for blue jays busily sorting seeds.
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