For the Birds
I thought about my mom as I was riding my bike to Jackson early this morning. She was an avid bike rider having completed many 100K and longer bike rides. I still have memories as an adolescent riding along with her and her bike riding friends (including Bad Bug) on my old 10-speed bike. We would ride in the Metroparks from Mastick Road to the falls in Berea and back. She has promised to do a street with me this summer on the back of my tandem bike, and I’ll make sure it is one of the longer ones.
As soon as I started walking down Jackson, I could hear the birds chirping. Jackson is a short two-block side street bordering the western end of Emerson Elementary School. I passed a large group of pigeons (at least a dozen) in one front yard, but they flew away before I could get close enough to snap a good picture. I also saw a large woodpecker on a tree and several finches. These are not birds that I have commonly seen on other streets. Then I came to neighboring front yards that had been turned into “Wildlife Habitats”.
I noticed various food sources along with places to nest, hide and burrow. It looked like an urban oasis. There was even a sign in one of the yards indicating that this area was a Certified Wildlife Habitat according to the provisions of the National Wildlife Federation. Now I don’t think it was a coincidence that I saw so many cool birds on this street at the start of my walk.
I also passed a new record-holder for the largest fairy garden in Lakewood. This giant complex built amongst driftwood pieces was sprawling across a tree lawn. With the Wildlife Habitat so nearby I wonder if this might serve as a vacation destination for a family of chipmunks or mice.
