Don't Forget the Birds!

Hello!

Another December day in Upstate New York brings another six inches of new snow. It is amazing the amount of snow on the ground outside of my house already, and today is the official first day of winter. This is definitely going to be a holiday season decorated with all the white, fluffy trimmings.

The snow is pretty. The air is cold. Most of the neighbors on the cul-de-sac see each other during the daily "sprint to the mailbox" or "snow shoveling extravaganza." I don't think we're unusual. Come the beginning of spring, we'll venture out to see the sunshine and catch up on winter news. But right now, we huddle inside only to go out for work, groceries, mail and a bit of shoveling...just like most of America.

One thing I notice in my neighborhood during these months is the lack of birds flying around and singing their songs. I don't blame them at all. They are little, and their feet have no boots on them. I wouldn't venture out unless my life depended upon it, which for them, it does. And they do venture out a few times a day to find sustenance.

Food. Birds require food, like the rest of us, except they have to look for it. For a very long time, my husband has been responsible for making sure the birds have enough to eat during the winter months. Every few weeks, he goes to the local feed store and purchases a 50 pound bag of black sunflower seeds (about $15.00). He hauls it home, and scoops it into big plastic containers which he carries out to the back yard every few days or so, to fill the feeders.

And yes, the squirrels eat too, but I guess they are hungry, right?

We have many feeders strung between trees in our backyard. Everyday it is a beautiful sight of red and black, white and brown, and gray and tan. We see our birds mostly in the morning and late afternoon during the winter. The rest of the day, I assume, they are hunkering down in eaves, tree holes and any place else they can find to squeeze in together to keep warm.

That is why I'm writing this. I'd like to remind you to feed the birds. If you don't have any bird feeders that is okay. Just walk into your backyard and stomp down an area of snow, so that it is mostly flat. Throw down handfuls of seed. Then go inside, sit by your window, and watch. The black seed on the white snow will bring a variety of birds. You can throw down cracked corn as well. And you can hang a square of suet (pig fat) from a string on a branch. The birds love it, and the fat helps them to build body fat and stay warm.

Watching birds (and squirrels) through the winter months becomes a much-look-foward-to activity every day. It connects us to "living beings" in our neighborhood, during a time when the human-kind hunkers down inside warm living rooms. It makes us feel good to take care of the littlest of creatures, and it brings beautiful moments into our lives.

At a time when the rest of the world seems cold and barren, our little backyard bird haven reminds us that nature exists, time is moving forward, and how important it is to remember the least of us...

Have hope.
Donna