[obol] victim of my own success

[Don Moore & Pam Buesing]

On the topic of attracting back yard birds, I am truly a victim of my  
own success.    I moved to my current location (hillsboro older  
subdivision) with a house on a quarter of an acre in the winter of  
2003.    I decided I wanted to encourage wildlife, especially birds,  
so I devoted a large area in my back and side yard to native  
plants.   I put in a pond outside a picture window.   My neighbors  
have some mature firs and pines, and my yard has 3 mature birch  
trees.  I leave all of the debris from my trees under the trees.      
At first, there would be mixed flocks that would grace my yard on  
occasion, and I did get some migrating birds stopping by to use the  
pond.     I would drop what I was doing and grab my binoculars and  
meticulously check them all out.   Now, after just 4 years here,  I  
have such a constant level of bird activity that I cannot possibly  
look them all over.   My pond is often full of bathing birds and the  
birds just constantly feed on the birches in all seasons.    I  
literally would get nothing done if I stopped to look at all the  
birds that visit my yard.     I know I miss a lot.   For example, I  
happened to walk by the picture window earlier this month and I got a  
10 second look at a white throated sparrow.    Haven't seen it since  
or before.    A week ago a winter wren stopped by to bathe, and  
graced us with a 20 second look.     Just happened to be at the right  
place at the right time.       The point is, you really can make a  
huge difference with just a little effort.   If you build it, they  
will come.

Don Moore