Hotel Arborvitae
I’m sitting here on the day after the first
significant snowfall of the season watching the finches fly in and out of the
arborvitae that grows on the southeast corner of our home. It is probably the most popular tree on our
property as far as the birds are concerned.
They frequent it in all seasons of the year.
Now, in the time of ice and snow, birds seek shelter
in it. Not only does it cut the force of
the wind, but when it snows the evergreen branches are thick enough that the
snow builds up on the outside. I suppose
this adds even more insulation for the birds as they huddle near the center of
the tree – both dry and sheltered. I
used to put Christmas lights on the tree when it was shorter. That came to an end the year that the squirrels
literally chewed probably close to half the lights off. I don’t know if they were convinced that the
lights were some sort of edible nut, or whether the electric wire was really
tasty. At any rate, it cost me a string
of lights.
I’m not sure why this corner tree is more popular than
the three that are planted just around the corner on the south side of the
house. The birds do use them also, but
the corner tree definitely holds more birds.
Maybe it’s because the corner tree catches both the morning and
afternoon sun, while those on the south side only catch the afternoon sun.
Late winter is my favorite time to observe the
tree. During the early and heart weeks
of winter the finches especially may let out a chirp or two, especially as they
settle in for the evening. I assume that
they may have to remind the others just who normally perches where. But come March, especially those first days
of determined thaw, the tree is an explosion of finch song.
When late April and early May arrive, the tree quiets
back down, as a number of the finches check out for the season. But it is apparent from watching the comings
and goings that as many as a couple dozen purple finches make their nests in
the tree. I imagine that the thick
branches keep the inside of the tree shaded and comfortable, even with the strong
afternoon sunshine.
In autumn there is a sorting out of who is staying for
the duration and who will be headed for warmer climes for winter. But at no time of the year do the birds
abandon the arborvitae like they seem to do with the deciduous trees in the
yard.
In the northwest corner of our property, behind a
double row of Austrian pines there are about twenty or so white cedars. These are the more-wild variety of the same
tree. I have spent enough time back
there observing to know that the chickadees prefer them while the finches seem
to prefer the domesticated arborvitaes closer to the house. The cedars are not as thick, and perhaps that’s
the difference. The finches don’t say
why. Neither do the chickadees for that
matter.
So, if you’re interested in having finches frequent
your yard, I suggest that you plant an arborvitae or two or three, and over
each season you can watch the guests check in and out.
His Peace <><
Deacon Dan
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