Now that the vegetation is dead and gone, the birds transform themselves into flowers in the winter to give us beautiful color. They are flying little flowers. Though many have gone south, including my favorite the hermit thrush, some still remain. I might not have paid much attention to this cardinal on one of my bird feeders a few months ago, but now I can’t take my eyes off him. There are dozens and dozens of brilliant red cardinals (males) and the browner females who come to visit me daily. Doves and chickadees come as well along with tiny little finches.
The master of the bird feeder, of course, is the blue
jay. He is a very aggressive bird, and
when he comes all of the other birds fly to a safe distance. He tolerates no guff from other birds, and
woe to the bird who tries it. Dozens of
blue jays come and hop all around the white snow, with the cardinals
surrounding them. It’s actually very
patriotic, this red-white-and-blue combination, moving and changing before my
eyes!
It’s a feast for the heart, though, and I have always had a
soft spot for birds. Their colors are
made even more brilliant by the white snow, and waiting beneath the feeder are
my squirrel friends, who pick up all the discarded seeds. Winter may be a season of death, but if you
are willing to share your harvest, you will be surrounded by more life than you
can handle!
 |
| Sweet little cardinal on the bird feeder. |
