My latest "Bird Watcher" column for The Record is about filling feeders again for the first time in fall and watching the birds return. 

A sample:   "As I sat by the window and watched the feathered cavalcade, I was reminded of a childhood rite of autumn:  the first day of school. You couldn’t wait to see those familiar faces again, even if most had probably been in the neighborhood all summer long.

"And like that idyllic first day of school, before the lesson plans, homework, pop quizzes and tests, the first day at the feeder seemed too good to be true.

"Where were the starlings and blue jays -- the class bullies -- that land on the feeders so gracelessly that they send the other birds and the assorted seed flying? Could those bad boys have transferred somewhere else this fall? I doubted it."

I think it might be one of my better efforts. Let me know what you think -- or let The Record know.  :- )

The link is here.