One of 100+ birds feeding on crabapples this morning. Birds have been part of my world for decades; first got interested at age 8, lost interest for a few years, reignited in my late teens, lost again, reignited for good in my mid-20s and have been birding ever since. I love the way birds mark the passage of the year, and how miraculous it is to see the migrants returning in spring, and how bittersweet when they depart in autumn, but hoping they come back again the following year, which they do, but in ever-dwindling numbers (thanks to habitat loss, collisions with glass windows, glass towers, killed in the millions by free-roaming cats, the litany of problems they face is endless....)

To see others exploring their world this month: https://forum.pbase.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=48955&sid=5f6b2fa05c90cb60c67e0b032c505801