While winter loosens its cold and brutal grasp on the earth, greenery is reforming and being reborn slowly. Birds chirp in the distance and the wind slowly calms down. The earth is coming back to life and is bringing new beauties with it.
At St. Louis High School Kevin Kuhn has given back to the earth by putting a bird feeder out for local birds.
Over spring break Kuhn installed the bird feeder into a stump by the river. The bird feeder can be seen through his window where he watches the birds fly in and out. “I always see cardinals first thing in the morning and in the middle of the day I see the blue jay. I also see this fat squirrel everyday and I frequently have to yell out the window at him to get off,” Kuhn says.
Whilst Kuhn watches the birds from his window, the class observes the squirrel. The fat squirrel is a popular topic among the students at SLHS. Some students express their personal feelings for the squirrel eating all the bird seed.
“I think it is very nice that Kuhn has hobbies, but that fat squirrel is getting in the way. How is Kuhn going to make his family of cardinals before next winter if that fat squirrel is eating all the bird seed? It’s not like we can ignore him either because he is genuinely so big you cannot miss him. He probably has his own orbit,” exclaims Noah Bobzien.
Though the feeder was put out to watch birds it has a more sentimental meaning than just that. To Kuhn it is more than just a bird feeder, it is more than just the birds. It’s about the story that comes with it.
“The bird feeder was a gift after my father died. My dad was an avid bird feeder/watcher and what better place to have a reminder of him than at work. However, prior to his death I had always wanted to be able to have a bird feeder once I got this classroom. I think watching birds is like watching fish in an aquarium. It’s a very calming activity. After a long hectic day it’s nice to step out and collect myself while watching the birds,” Kuhn states.
He hopes to make a family of cardinals for his “dream christmas card” by next year. Hopefully this dream becomes a reality.
