Around the feeders, early December #phenology

Often, people in the office hang around the water cooler. Birds and squirrels in our neighborhood hang around the bird bath and feeders that hold suet and sunflower seeds, especially when the weather acts up. Today's snow has tapered off. More is in the forecast, in unspecified amounts, for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Although in the North Country it's never "too cold to snow," or so we've read, there does seem to be an inverse relationship between really cold and sunny days lacking snowfall and warmer, cloudy days with it. Warmer air does hold more moisture but, we bet, there's more to it than that. At least we didn't get 6" forecast, but enough did fall, 4" or so, that we'll go run the snow blower after we've posted this. We haven't yet figured out if our Christmas wish that the brunt of the storm stay North of us has been granted.

blue jay on white snow

Photo by J. Harrington

A couple of blue jays have been at the sunflower seeds, suet and bird bath all morning. They are so much larger than the usual gang of chickadees, nuthatches (both red and white breasted), and downy woodpeckers that it is astonishing. We were also gifted visits from a pair of cardinals. The scarlet male against the crisp, white, snow is truly a sight to be thankful for. He even puts the normally bright red squirrel to shame.

red bird on white snow

Photo by J. Harrington

red squirrel on gray branch

Photo by J. Harrington

Christmas season, and the rest of our Winter, would be much more dreary without the cast of characters that sunflower seeds, suet and open water attract. These are everyday gifts that bring beauty into our lives. Although, is the beauty in the eye of those of us who behold these critters, in the critters themselves, or the combination? That's sort of like "if a tree falls in the forest, and no one hears it,..."

Red Bird

by Mary Oliver

Red bird came all winter

Firing up the landscape

As nothing else could.

Of course I love the sparrows,

Those dun-colored darlings,

So hungry and so many.

I am a God-fearing feeder of birds,

I know he has many children,

Not all of them bold in spirit.

Still, for whatever reason-

Perhaps because the winter is so long

And the sky so black-blue,

Or perhaps because the heart narrows

As often as it opens-

I am grateful

That red bird comes all winter

Firing up the landscape

As nothing else can do.

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