Let's Talk Birds
During winter, the snow can pose challenges for birds (putni), prompting many Latvians to establish feeding trays outside their windows and consistently provide nourishment to the birds. While bird feeders can be purchased at stores, any child knows how to craft one from an empty milk carton. All you need is an empty carton, a rope, and a few cuts with a knife or scissors. Voila! Your feeder is ready. Now, simply add some seeds, and you are prepared to assist the birds. Position the feeder on your window or hang it in a location easily accessible to birds.
Source: https://www.crayola.com/
Watching who visits your feeder can be an interesting activity. And while observing and getting to know different kinds of birds, let's learn what they are called in Latvian.
Here are some examples of birds and their names in Latvian and English:
Tit - Zīlīte
Sparrow- Zvirbulis
Woodpecker - Dzenis
Grey-headed woodpecker - Dzilna
Jay - Sīlis
Goldfinch - Dadzītis
Sturnus - Strazds
The National Television has set up a bird feeder on top of the television office house in the middle of Riga and produces a live stream for anyone interested in watching the birds.
Source: Latvian National Television
I cannot say for sure what it is about Latvians and birds, but several very famous initiatives involve live-feed watching of birds. The most famous bird is probably the sea eagle (jūras ērglis) named Durberts, who used to inhabit the woods not far from the western coast in Dienvidkurzeme. A lot of drama in the Durberts world has been broadcast to livestream watchers all over Latvia, and news headlines reflect telenovela-style drama from this nest - sometimes someone steals the eagles' eggs, sometimes someone interferes with the couple and the drama is real.
Live streams are available also for the black storks (melnais stārķis) and white storks (baltais stārķis) nest. Storks have always meant a blessing to our ancestors, so you cannot move or destroy their nests, which they often decide to make on top of chimneys or electric posts.
Of course, during the winter these nests are empty and we are waiting for spring for all the migratory birds (gājputni) to return, and while we are waiting, we can set a feeder by our window to interact with the resident birds (nometnieki).
Which birds have you noticed already and have any rare birds visited your window? Let’s join in the discussion in the comments section.
Vita, OLS Community Manager - Latvian