Whenever I return to our Littleton farm after a significant absence, I like to think that our resident wildlife take notice. On this beautiful spring morning along the Front Range, that seemed to be the case.
House wrens, spotted towhees and house finches were singing incessantly while two white-breasted nuthatches followed me about the property. A pair of Cooper's hawks honored me with a flyover and a red-tailed hawk stopped by to acknowledge my return. A broad-tailed hummingbird repeatedly zoomed overhead while mourning doves provided mellow background greetings, contrasting with the harsh hellos from a pair of northern flickers.
Of course, all of this behavior is typical in the spring but we humans want to be more than observers. We want to be part of, or even take credit for, the avian assembly, especially when it is on "our property." Imagine what we may, the joke is on us.
