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As far as Jean was concerned, it was a tremendous day. When I got home in the late afternoon, she pointed out that she had “hit the jackpot.”

No, we hadn’t won the lottery or received a financial windfall. Her “jackpot” was from one of her newer hobbies — bird watching. She happily pointed out that after a couple of years of futility, bluebirds had finally built a nest in our bluebird box.

A couple of newlywed wrens had taken up residence in a birdhouse on the deck. She had seen hummingbirds and a Baltimore oriole sipping lunch at the nectar feeder. And, of course, there were numerous blue jays, finches and cardinals visiting bird feeders. As always, robins dropped in for a visit, and for a person who enjoys bird watching it was a red-letter day.

Since we’ve retired, I have taken a greater interest in the many, many species of birds that inhabit the area around our home. I’ll admit, early on, about the only bird that I knew was the sparrow. Now, I have developed a greater appreciation of birds. I know one thing — if you have a variety of bird feeders and a bird bath you will have many feathered visitors.

We are certainly not alone when it comes to bird watching. One Web site stated that there are 75 million people who list bird watching as a hobby. I even found out that there are different levels of the hobby. For example, those of us who simply enjoy viewing visits by various species of birds are “bird watchers.”

On the other hand, more serious enthusiasts are “birders” or enjoy “birding.” These folks enjoy focusing in on a different species and learning as much as they can about them. Finally, I found out, in England there are extremely advanced hobbyists who are participate in “twitching.” No, twitching isn’t a nervous jerking motion — it is the science of looking for birds that are rare. These are the stereotypical bird lovers who hike all over the countryside hoping to get glimpses of a unique bird.

I’ll admit that I’ve learned a lot. I have joked that before Jean started informing me about the feathered visitors, the only Baltimore Orioles I was familiar with was Brooks Robinson or Cal Ripken. Blue Jays were visitors to Kauffman Stadium and migrated from Toronto. When it came to Cardinals, you had two varieties — St. Louis or Arizona.

Really, the simplest form of the hobby is both economical and a lot of fun. You don’t even have to have bird feeders. All you need to do is stand by the window and watch the activity in the world outside. I will say that bird feeders, etc., will draw a feathered crowd. I have noted that there are, well, a “pecking order,” in almost all cases.

The more beautifully colored males eat first. They can be pretty aggressive in keeping the females at bay until they’re done. The large blue jays sometimes swoop in and drive off the other birds. There is a constant drama of survival at a bird feeder. The sparrows, for example, usually don’t get involved in the fray. They stay on the ground and feast on food that is dropped.

I always felt sorry for sparrows until I found out that they were terrorists who took over other birds’ nests. Apparently, sparrows aren’t good neighbors.

In addition, squirrels can cause problems for those who love viewing birds. No matter what you do, squirrels find a way to steal birdseed. One guy put a feeder on the top of a steel pole and regularly put grease on the pole. He said that squirrels failed time after time until the grease was rubbed off and then they were snatching food. In short, there isn’t much you can do to keep the squirrels from interfering.

I was also surprised to learn that there are catalogs offering bird-watching supplies. You can even buy a bird-watching stand or blind that allows you some degree of comfort as you wait to view birds.

In our case, however, we do have a book with photos of varies species and a pair of binoculars. Yes, it is a very simple and inexpensive hobby. However, it is a thrill to see the beautiful and unique plumage of the regular visitors to the feeder. It certainly does give you a greater appreciation of nature.

While I hate snow, I do enjoy watching the cardinals as they eat. Their brilliant red provides an attractive contrast to the stark whiteness of snow. In the spring, you cannot help but enjoy the beautiful song of wrens or robins.

Jean has become an avid bird watcher. No matter what she is doing, she has one eye on the many birds that inhabit our area. Yes, I’m glad she got me interested in bird watching and I’m glad she has a new hobby. Maybe bird watching will keep her mind off having a garage sale this year.

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