Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Feeding the Birds

I am getting really discouraged because I haven't heard back from that prospective employer I interviewed with last week. I guess the interview didn't go as well as I had thought. That's the trouble when you view the world through rose-colored glasses. Only I am not known for being especially optimistic; I must be getting desperate. See, I thought when they said things like they could market my skills and how I had much more experience than other applicants, I thought that meant something good. It wasn't just them being polite and me lapping it up. Or maybe it was. The bottom line is they haven't called back.

So I am feeling a little poopy. Watching the birds is one of the only things cheering me up these days. I got a bird feeding complex for Christmas, a big stand that hold three different types of feeders. There is the house-shaped one that holds black oil sunflower seeds, a cylindrical one that dispenses nyjer seeds, and then the peanut feeder. We couldn't find any unsalted shelled peanuts when we were buying birdseed, so got cracked corn instead. The corn is not very popular; we'll have to look elsewhere for the peanuts. We didn't get many visitors at first, with the unseasonably warm weather, just a few friendly chickadees. Once it got cold, other birds showed up.

It is so fun to look out the window and see a rainbow of species jostling for seeds. We regularly get gold finches, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, chipping sparrows, cardinals, and woodpeckers. The house finches were late to the party, but now show up in droves. I think the blue jays will show up once we get some peanuts. I wish I understood their behavior a little better though. Some days it's a mob scene out there, with every feeder full to capacity and a queue of hungry birds fluttering around the birches waiting for their turn. Other days, it is completely desolate. Today, for example, I have not seen a single bird. Where are they all hiding?

5 comments:

Nicole said...

Never used to be a fan of birds until I moved to the Northeast. Now I am hooked. But we mostly get enormous woodpeckers. I even tried to set up a bird bath, but it's labor intensive to replace the frozen water with warm water everyday. I have heard that a bath is crucial for attracting birds, even in the Winter.

I am so sorry that you haven't heard back yet. I feel your pain. But it's possible that they are still interviewing and you remain there top choice. Did you call and let them know you are still interested? Sorry couldn't resist the assvice on that one. I am hardly one to give assvice on getting employed.

a/k/a Nadine said...

Did you send a thank you note/email? I've heard that can be helpful.

Love the birdies. Now you're making me jealous. Maybe I need to get a bird feeder.

Anonymous said...

If there's one thing I've learned it's that hiring someone takes forever! I'm the most impatient person in the world when it comes to waiting for interviews, etc. You never know what's going on with them, but I say if it's been a week since your interview, give them a call or email if you can, to say I'm still interested. How's it going over there? It doesn't hurt!

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

They have unsalted peanusts in the bulk section at Wegman's and in big bags there, at they they used to, I used to get them for my Mom.

Yes, give them a call or send a thank you note--don't give up yet, they may still be intereviewing. I hope it wasn't one of those deals where they'd basically already hired someone and were just going through the motions. Grrrr!

Cave-Woman said...

Nice bird feeder!
Have you checked out "Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Bird Behavior"? Great book for understanding behavior.


Good luck getting the job. I hope you hear from them soon.