Welcome to Jeremy’s Backyard Birds
Hi, I’m Jeremy Larson — most folks just call me Jeremy.
I’m a 68-year-old retiree living in Duluth, Minnesota, not far from the big, cold water of Lake Superior. If you’ve ever spent time up here, you know our seasons have their own personality. Winters can feel long. The wind off the lake has a way of reminding you it’s in charge. Spring arrives in pieces. Summer can be the kind of gentle relief that makes you breathe easier.
For most of my life, I moved through the days the way a lot of people do: early starts, schedules stacked on schedules, and a quiet promise that I’d slow down “when things settle.” Birds were always in the background. I heard them on the way to work. I saw them from the corner of my eye while carrying groceries or taking out the trash. I knew they were there, but I didn’t give them much space in my attention.
Then I retired.
Retirement didn’t arrive with fireworks. It came quietly. My calendar opened up. My mornings stretched out. I found myself standing at the kitchen window a little longer than usual, coffee in hand, looking over a small backyard I had mostly ignored for decades.
One cold morning, I noticed a flash of bright red on a bare branch. A cardinal perched there for only a short while, but it did something to me. It wasn’t a dramatic life change. It felt more like a gentle tap on the shoulder — a reminder that there was a living world just outside my door that I had been walking past.
After that, I started looking again.
Not in a big ambitious way. Just small. A few extra minutes at the window. A pause on the porch before heading back inside. I began noticing little patterns: which birds showed up early, which ones arrived in quick bursts, which ones seemed bold enough to come close, which ones preferred to keep their distance.
Without planning it, I had started to watch birds.
Why This Site Exists
Jeremy’s Backyard Birds grew out of those quiet, ordinary moments.
This is not a “look how expert I am” kind of site. I don’t write to impress other birders. I write because backyard birdwatching gave my days a steadier rhythm — and because I realized a lot of people want to enjoy birds but feel like the usual birding world can be a little intimidating.
Some guides move fast. Some assume you’ll hike miles with expensive gear. Some make it feel like you’re doing it wrong if you can’t identify every bird by sound, silhouette, and flight pattern.
That’s not real life for a lot of us.
This site is for anyone who wants birdwatching to fit inside the life they actually have — especially older adults, retirees, and beginners who prefer comfort over complication.
Maybe your legs get tired faster than they used to. Maybe your hands aren’t as steady as they were. Maybe bending down to refill a feeder feels like a bigger chore than it should. Maybe you live somewhere with a small yard, a patio, or just one decent window where you can sit and look out.
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re exactly who I’m writing for.
What You’ll Find Here
To make this site easy to explore, I’ve built it around the way birdwatching unfolded in my own life — slowly, practically, and with a focus on comfort.
Backyard Birdwatching Basics
This section is for the beginning stage — the stage where you’re not trying to “master” anything yet. You’re just trying to notice.
I write about the kind of small, helpful things I wish someone had told me earlier:
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How to pick a comfortable spot that you’ll actually use
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How to watch for short stretches without turning it into a strain
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How to learn one bird at a time instead of trying to learn everything at once
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How to enjoy the process even when you can’t identify every visitor right away
A lot of people quietly assume they’re behind. They think everyone else knows more. They think they missed the starting line.
You didn’t. Birdwatching doesn’t punish late starters. It rewards patience.
Feeding Birds and Simple Backyard Setups
Feeding birds became part of my routine, especially in northern winters when the yard can look like a black-and-white photograph. A feeder becomes a little point of activity — something to look forward to when days feel long.
But I also learned quickly that not every feeder setup is friendly to an aging back or tired shoulders. Some are a pain to clean. Some spill seed everywhere. Some require lifting heavy bags or bending in awkward ways.
So this section is built around realistic setups:
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Feeders that are easier to refill without wrestling with heavy parts
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Placement ideas that reduce mess and reduce strain
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Seed choices that make sense (without turning shopping into a research project)
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Small improvements that make the whole experience smoother
The goal is not perfection. The goal is a setup you don’t dread maintaining.
Birds You Might See Around Home
Over time, certain birds stopped feeling like “wildlife” and started feeling like neighbors.
Some stay all year, toughing out snow and wind. Some pass through for only a season. Some arrive like little surprises and disappear again before you’ve even learned their name.
In this section, I introduce common backyard birds in a plain, friendly way:
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What they look like in everyday conditions (not just perfect photos)
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The small behaviors that give them away
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What they tend to do near feeders, fences, and tree lines
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Easy comparisons when two birds look similar
My aim is that you can read one post, look out your window, and feel more confident the next time you see a flash of movement on a branch.
Simple Gear for Easy Birdwatching
Eventually, I had to face the gear question. Not because I wanted to become a “gear person,” but because I realized something:
Some items make birdwatching easier. Some items make it harder.
Heavy binoculars that strain your neck and arms? Not helpful. Fancy equipment that feels complicated? Not helpful. Tools that require constant fiddling? Not helpful.
So I focus on practical gear choices that match the reality of older hands and tired bodies:
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Comfortable, lightweight options when possible
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Tools that are easy to hold and easy to use
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Feeder designs that don’t turn into a chore
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Simple upgrades that let you stay outside (or at the window) a little longer
I’m not chasing the newest thing. I’m chasing comfort and usefulness.
What Birdwatching Changed for Me
One thing I didn’t expect about retirement was how quiet it can be.
The busy years train you to measure time by obligations. When those obligations fall away, days can blend together in a way that feels strange at first. Some people fill that space immediately with projects. Some people struggle with the silence.
For me, birds became a gentle structure.
Not a strict schedule. Not a pressure. Just a steady rhythm:
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Who shows up early
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Who appears after the snow
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Who disappears when seasons shift
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Who returns again like an old friend
That rhythm helped me feel more anchored. It reminded me that life keeps moving in cycles. There is comfort in that.
And there’s something else, too. Birdwatching taught me to slow down without feeling like I’m “wasting time.” It gave me permission to sit still and pay attention. In a world that pushes speed, that kind of stillness can feel like a small victory.
Who This Site Is For
This site is for:
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People who want a calm hobby that doesn’t demand perfect health
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Beginners who want plain talk instead of technical lectures
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Readers who prefer realistic routines over big “bucket list” trips
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Anyone who enjoys watching from a window, porch, patio, or small yard
If you’ve ever looked out your window and thought, “What bird is that?” this site is for you.
If you’ve ever felt a small lift in your mood when a bird lands close by, this site is for you.
If you’ve ever wanted a hobby that feels gentle, steady, and quietly rewarding, this site is for you.
A Small Invitation
If you’re new here, I’d suggest starting in a simple way.
Pick one spot you already use — a kitchen window, a favorite chair, a corner of the porch. Give yourself ten minutes. Not an hour. Ten minutes. Bring a warm drink if you like.
Look for movement. Look for patterns. Look for the small habits birds repeat. You don’t need to know every name right away. Learn one. Then another.
Over time, your backyard can become a familiar place again — not just something you pass through, but something you notice.
That’s the heart of what I’m building here.
Thanks for stopping by.
— Jeremy Larson