***image2***It's a bird, it's a plane-no, definitely it's a bird.
Smashed against a pane of glass, a harbinger of doom. Spotted across a bare desert landscape, a bird can be a rapturous reminder of our noblest aspirations. They've brought us olive branches, heralded the falling of the sky, tricked us in this life and conducted us safely to the next. If you gravitate toward the crepuscular, mouse-hunting barn owls or manic, sugar-crazed, flashy hummingbirds you know the romance of winged creatures. If spring is your season for the generation of new love, consider a romance with beaked, fork-footed creatures. If that seems like a stretch, consider, this spring, all the ways to cultivate at least a deeper appreciation for birds.
Meet birds on their turf
Northern New Mexico is a birder's paradise. There are sanctuaries and state parks; there are camping trips offered solely for the admiration of birds. There are-really
-four
chapters of the Audubon Society maintained in the state. And why not? Every season boasts a new procession of the showy and the awkward, the sedentary and the transitory bird, from the warbler to the osprey. The Randall Davey Audubon Center, open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, is the perfect place to recreate in the company of bipedal oviparous vertebrates. Bird walks are led at 8:30 am every Saturday, according to volunteer Ron Duffy. "We concentrate on identifying seasonal birds." Teens and adults are welcome, cigarettes and dogs have to stay in the car. For the little pullets, the Audubon Center hosts an extremely popular day camp each summer, heavy on science investigations, nature walks, stories, hiking, art activities and lots of wholesome, active play. "People line up," Duffy says, speaking of registration. "The whole summer books up in a matter of hours."
For those with a more adventurous spirit, there are wide-ranging options for birding outside the city. Bill West, long-admired for his ability to identify bird calls, runs WingsWest Birding, a company that organizes regional birding trips. Upcoming tours include Alamos, Mexico; and ongoing birding classes at Ted Turner's Ladder Ranch in Truth or Consequences.
Roll out the red carpet
If even in spring you prefer the comfort and familiarity of your own nest to hiking boots and winding trails, work on making your garden swanky digs for the feathered persuasion. "If you want birds, offer water," says Maria Spray, manager of Wild Birds Unlimited. Clean sources of water in open spaces with bushes for nearby cover appeal to all kinds of birds in the same way blue light specials at K-Mart appeal to knitters. The next step, Spray explains, is putting out appealing snacks. "Our most popular mix is the black oil sunflower seed mix," she says thoughtfully, "and then probably millet. The type of seed varies even in regions of the city. Quail eat off the ground in the country, places like Eldorado. And feeder birds live in the city." Bear in mind, also, that different types of vegetation in one's yard will bring different kinds of birds home to roost. Juniper seduces chickadees and woodpeckers, sagebrush will conjure brown birds of all kinds-house finches, sparrows, the canyon towhee. During spring migration, "look for warblers, hummingbirds and wrens."
In order to better appreciate birds from the comfort of your living room window, Spray suggests you outfit yourself with a birding book or poster for handy identification and binoculars, available in all ranges from play to professional at Wild Birds Unlimited. "Birds are identified by their beak size and shape. And eye rings, spots, tail feathers-you can't
see
them unless you've got good binoculars."
Pet shop birds
"I talk a lot of people out of buying parrots," says Darlene Parker, owner of Feathered Friends Exotic Bird Shoppe, a woman who is serious about bird business. "They live for around 75 years, so it's like having a kid that never leaves home. It's a big commitment." Parker's shop is two big rooms; the first is a traditional pet shop stacked to the rafters with millet seed, cages and toys, books and vitamin supplements. The second is a rec room in which all of her live merchandise lives. After feeding in the morning, she opens their cage doors and they're free to roost and roam as they please. A pair of young green and gray macaws chirrup and squeak, scramble over and tug at the hem of patrons' jeans. Iris is the shop mascot; an endangered
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hyacinth macaw ringing in at a hefty 10 grand, she has legions of admirers but so far no one has scooped her up. "Iris is a bit more like a dog," Parker laughs, as Iris buries her face in her neck, then angles her beak right near Parker's mouth for a kiss.
If you're going to get a bird, the first thing you should get is a book. "Owning birds is a lot different than owning another kind of pet. Sixty percent of their diet is rice, beans, pasta, tofu and other kinds of human food." And that's just the beginning. House play should be supervised, no red meat ever, don't forget the mineral supplements and did you know that birds require yearly vaccinations like your cat? Parker's worked with the same five breeders for the majority of her two decades in the bird business, and she scoops them up as babies. "I like to syringe feed them until they're weaned. Then while I'm raising them up, potential owners can visit and bond with the bird. That way they go directly to a home." Keep in mind, before getting a bird to sing you to sleep, that compatible birds make happier homes. People with little children shouldn't get big birds unless they're good supervisors; apartment-dwellers should stay away from cockatoos and macaws because they are loud. And when in doubt, start small. "Budgies are a great starter bird," Parker says, lacing her fingers through the bars of the budgie aviary. "They're beautiful, sturdy and intelligent. They're definitely our most popular."
Cold blooded, yes. Carriers of Avian Flu? Quite possibly. But birds can fly, and there they trump us. To get closer to the infinite, to get outdoors, to engage with animals and to be inspired, we recommend, this season, birds of all feather.
