Flocks of Snowbirds

People from the North Country who head south for the winter are called snowbirds, but the real snowbirds, juncos, are having a population explosion this year. Someone who did the local Christmas Bird Count counted thousands of juncos last week.

These beautiful slate gray birds are ground feeders, so i throw some sunflower seeds onto the deck just for the joy of seeing these sleek birds.

People-snowbirds flock to warmth, but flocks of these junco-snowbirds seem to love to hop around in the snow.

Birds of a feather flock together. Let's flock together with our spiritual friends for the warmth of friendship on these chilly days.

Chickadee Generosity

I love the generosity of chickadees. They fly to the bird feeder and pick up a seed or two. Sometimes, they throw seeds out of the feeder, onto the ground below. Shortly afterward, the ground feeders arrive--juncos, cardinals, and squirrels. And, well, oh heck, other chickadees aren't picky, they'll eat off the ground as well.

Bird feeders are all very well and good for perching birds, such as chickadees, goldfinches, and woodpeckers. But cardinals are shelf feeders; they generally don't go to a perching bird feeder. And juncos scavenge whatever is on the ground. Fortunately, there is something on the ground, thanks to the chickadees, who offer quite a good proportion of their own meal to whoever comes next.

What if we offered a third or a quarter or even ten percent of our assets to others who could really use a decent meal?

The chickadee doesn't know, for sure, that sunflower seeds will be in the feeder tomorrow. (Sometimes, we do go on vacation.) Every third visit or so, they fly off with two seeds in their beak, which they may "bank" in the bark or crotch or hole of a nearby tree. But they are giving away far more than they put in the "bank."

I aspire to be as generous as a chickadee.

Juncos in the Christmas Tree

The birds are loving the Christmas tree that provided my "instant landscaping" near the front door. I see juncos hiding in the balsam fir, looking for protection from winter winds and high-flying hawks.

We too are subtly looking for protection as we go through our daily lives. We want to be safe, and we do this by going places we know and being with people we know via texting or phoning.

We could simply be safe in the here and the now, in the unk-now-n. Because every moment is new.

Really every moment is unknown. And we are safe.

Photo from ohio-nature.com