the great big bird feeder

There is a large sweet gum tree right next to our balcony. It has just about lost all its leaves, though there are still some green. I've been figuring it will provide welcome shade if we still live here this summer. But something extraordinary happened this weekend. The sweet gum turned into a giant bird feeder. Finches descended on those pointy round pods that are so unpleasant to step on in bare feet. Goldfinches, house martins, juncos, birds, birds, birds. The goldfinches alight right on the pods and hang there pecking at the pods. The (slightly) larger birds sit on the branches to peck. Mourning doves sit on the ground below awaiting fallen seeds. I can sit in a recliner and watch all though the sliding glass doors! W00t.