I agreed to house- and dog-sit for a friend recently. I had never been to the house before so when I parked in the driveway, I did what I always do upon visiting a house for the first time: evaluate the birding potential of the yard.

When I visit a home in a city or busy part of a suburb, I don’t expect much but remain optimistic. Sometimes I’m disappointed and sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised. If the house is in a rural area, I assume the best and expect to spend many enjoyable hours on the porch or deck listening to and watching birds.

This particular house was in “the country” and lived up to all expectations.

The owner told me there were active bluebird boxes in the backyard. There were indeed a few bluebird boxes in the yard, but nothing was actively nesting at the time. In fact, when I first looked at the boxes, a house wren was perched on top chattering away. Bluebirds, however, were plentiful around the property so it was probably not too long since they had nested and were now busy raising fledglings.

As it turned out, the bluebird boxes were a popular perch for birds as they scanned the yard for food and predators. Throughout the days I spent there, I noticed bluebirds, house wrens, cardinals, song sparrows, robins and catbirds all perched on the boxes.

Other birds I saw throughout my stay included wild turkey, American and fish crow, ruby-throated hummingbird, grackle, blue jay and red-tailed hawk. When I walked into the backyard for the first time, I noticed it was great habitat for hummingbirds with dozens of daylilies and bee balm in full bloom. Sure enough, I spotted my first hummingbird within a half hour of being at the house.

Also, at one point, hundreds of red-winged blackbirds flew overhead shortly before dusk. They no doubt had come from the many nearby fields. On one of my walks behind the property, I noticed bobolinks and dozens of barn swallows in one of the fields.

Heard but not seen were American goldfinches and eastern towhees. In fact, my favorite part of the experience was sitting on the patio in the evening and listening to the bird chorus. Song sparrows and robins were the dominant singers, but plenty of other songsters joined in. I waited until dark to turn on the TV or listen to music. I didn’t want to miss nature’s show, which is vastly better and more rewarding than anything on the television.

I watched the house and dogs as a favor and didn’t expect any payment. I was, however, richly compensated by the birds and peace and quiet. Heck, maybe I should have been the one to leave a payment.