The sentence "you don't know what you have until it's gone" means a lot to me since we moved from a large acreage near a river surrounded by trees to a small town with only 1 stubby weird looking tree in the front yard. When living in the country, I would often report seeing 12-15 species of birds within 20 minutes to Cornell FeederWatch. Before snowstorms it was common to see 15-30 or more Northern Cardinals taking turns at the feeders. We've been in town for 3 months now and have installed a few birdfeeders. After a few weeks, they started trickling in. It's so exciting to see a pair of Cardinals, several Goldfinches, Downys and Flickers, a Hummingbird on the feeders, and today we had an oriole on our patio pecking around in a planter. The excitement had never left even after seeing them regularly in the country. But now it's doubled because the common birds have become rare. I'm sure with our continued welcomes they will become more frequent and tell their friends where they can go to get the good stuff. At least that's the hope.
Thank you for bringing that sentence to my attention.
Rita Jensen Wahoo, NE Saunders County
On 2026-07-01 11:41, Gordon Warrick via groups.io wrote: > Thanks for reminding us. > > On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 05:48:32 PM MDT, Shirley Maas via > groups.io <dtmsem2006...> wrote: > > Food for thought > > Don Maas Former Ne > Choctaw , Ok > Oklahoma County > > Mess, Az > Maricopa County > > “If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government > then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools. > Plato > “You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of > reality.” > > Don & Shirley Maas > The Maas’s have migrated to the Valley of the Sun in Mesa, AZ from > Choctaw, Ok for the winter. > Begin forwarded message: > > On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 5:02 PM, <jwdavis...> > <jwdavis...> wrote: > >> Thanks for your help and support for our birds and othe wildlife. >> “The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we >> will. ” — Theodore Roosevelt. I had this quote on my emails >> for 20 years as a reminder for me and others. How many >> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart >> >> External Email >> >> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd >> >> Thanks for your help and support for our birds and othe wildlife. >> “The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we >> will.” — Theodore Roosevelt. I had this quote on my emails for >> 20 years as a reminder for me and others. >> >> How many people on this list serve are speaking out for wildlife >> and its habitat, or are you sitting in apathy and indifference as >> they disappear? >> >> Jerry >> >> ------------------------- >> >> From: okbirds <OKBIRDS...> on behalf of Susanne Lutze >> <eztuls46...> >> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 1:40 PM >> To: <OKBIRDS...> <OKBIRDS...> >> Subject: Re: [OKBIRDS] Birds and Our Hedonic Adaptation >> >> You are correct to call attention to the process of almost erasing >> our common birds to an unseeing public. Nature, especially birds, >> help keep me balanced in a world of chaos, greed and distractions. I >> try to both start and end each day with >> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart >> >> External Email >> >> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd >> You are correct to call attention to the process of almost erasing >> our common birds to an unseeing public. Nature, especially birds, >> help keep me balanced in a world of chaos, greed and distractions. I >> try to both start and end each day with nature ….my birds, >> bunnies, insects, coyotes, reptiles are my truth. My soul when given >> this beginning and end to each day…feels in balance. >> Watching young House Finches, young Bue Jays, teen Mockingbirds, >> yearly juvenile Brown Thrashers, and lots of Mourning Doves, Robins, >> Sparrows, hawks, and this rear’s family of five Crows….gives me >> smiles when so much going on in the world is sad. >> Thanks for your insights. >> >> "Carry a heart that never hates, a smile that never fades, and a >> touch that never hurts." >> >> On Tue, Jun 30, 2026 at 2:16 PM <jwdavis...> >> <jwdavis...> wrote: >> >>> Birds and Our Hedonic Adaptation “You don’t know what you >>> have until it is gone” is something that all are aware of. That >>> is a characteristic of humans to fail to appreciate what they have >>> while they have it. Humans become insensitive to stimuli >>> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart >>> >>> External Email >>> >>> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd >>> >>> Birds and Our Hedonic Adaptation >>> >>> “You don’t know what you have until it is gone” is >>> something that all are aware of. That is a characteristic of >>> humans to fail to appreciate what they have while they have it. >>> Humans become insensitive to stimuli and environmental factors >>> with repeat exposure. Birders are not immune to this factor and >>> take for granted the birds they see around them. Yes, you may have >>> been excited about having a bird in your yard the first time but >>> as time wears on, this becomes a common place, and the excitement >>> diminishes just as buying a new object from the store. The hedonic >>> adaptation is a psychological process where people tend to return >>> to a relatively stable baseline level after having positive or >>> negative life events. When something good happens like seeing a >>> new bird or adding a bird to your life lists, you have a boost of >>> happiness, but the feeling fades as your brain adjusts to the >>> experience. This natural and often unconscious process helps keep >>> life stable but can cause you to ignore or become complacent to >>> the treasures and the birds that you have around you. I have been >>> on birding trips with some birders referring to a species seen so >>> often that they call them “trash birds”. There are no trash >>> birds regardless of how often they are seen. You need to regain a >>> gratitude and appreciation for what you have. Find joy in seeing >>> your American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Blue jays, Eastern >>> Bluebirds, and others that you see so often that you ignore their >>> presence and the beauty they hold. By understanding the hedonic >>> adaptation process that is at work in your crinkled cranium you >>> can focus on strategies that promote sustainable well-being, >>> cultivate gratitude, meaningful engagement, and mindful awareness, >>> rather than relying solely on new external circumstances and birds >>> to provide a lasting happiness. >>> >>> You need to remember that we have lost 3 billion birds since 1970 >>> and four percent (4%) fewer birds are crossing the Gulf each year. >>> In just one decade, we have 40% fewer birds crossing the Gulf. >>> Even what we call our common birds is in steep decline. You need >>> to find a mental way of renewed and sustainable joy and >>> appreciation for our birds and see and experience each one while >>> we still have them. >>> >>> Jerry Wayne Davis >>> June 30, 2026 >>> Hot Springs, AR >> >>> > > > > Links: > ------ > [1] https://groups.io/g/NEBirds/message/43149 > [2] https://groups.io/mt/120056528/3005744 > [3] https://groups.io/g/NEBirds/post > [4] https://groups.io/g/NEBirds/editsub/3005744 > [5] https://groups.io/g/NEBirds/leave/5806104/3005744/144787468/xyzzy
