The Bird Feeding Squad

Lloyd and Lee watch as Murray puts up a feeder at the Evodia Field

Lloyd, filling a feeder
Photos: MW

Last Tuesday at noon the Central Park Bird Feeding Squad gathered at the Evodia Field for the official inauguration of the 2005-6 season. Thanksgiving used to be the beginning of the feeder-filling season, and surely the birds don't need the Feeding Squad's provisions yet -- there are plenty of seeds still available on the park's trees. But because the weekly meeting of the Feeding Squad serves as a focal point for the park's disparate "nature community", starting a few weeks earlier is welcomed by all. It's a weekly excuse to all be together at the same place at the same time, however briefly, to exchange nature news, as well as news about many other subjects.

Today, an unusually warm day for the beginning of November, was the second feeder-filling day. The squad was there at noon, as it will be every Tuesday until next Easter, or perhaps even later. The photos above show Lloyd Spitalnik and Murray Liebman, the two agile feeder-putter-uppers, using an extra-long pole to hook the home-made contraptions onto a high bough. Thus the feeders remain out of reach of dog or human passers-by.