Birds of Winter
Winter arrives on Junco’s wings, gray and white with a hint of pink.
The snowy days have me looking like a titmouse, wearing my pom pom hat every time I leave the house.
Perfect sunny days are the color of a blue jay - cerulean, sparkling white, streaked with black and gray.
These days beckon me like a chickadee song - brief, sweet, and constant- I wish for more.
Sometimes I feel daring like the vertical climbing nuthatch, trying my luck sledding down an icy snow patch.
But so often the cold is a bit annoying like the flock of starlings at the suet cakes they love destroying.
And when the frigid air pierces like blue jay’s shriek, my heart is warmed by cardinal's cheery red plumes and busy beak.
The really gloomy days make my mood as black as the crow, leaving me aimlessly moving to and fro.
And if I ever feel lonely the Canada geese don’t leave, choosing to hang around, honking loud, drowning out all of the other winter sounds.
Thankfully the season marches on to the beat of woodpecker’s thump as he steadily works to find a larva juicy and plump.
Yes, winter progresses with each flap of a wing and peck of a beak, as the light returns to make the darkest days less bleak.
And before I know it the birds of winter will be met by the returning avians who had up and fled.
Then the yard will host a rainbow of feathers, a flurry of nest building making the songs and sounds even better.
However, until that day I have these hardy perchers and fowl keeping me company as I brace against icy chills in my woolen sweater and cowl.
The slideshow is of all the birds mentioned. All photos are property of Cornell University’s Allaboutbirds.org
To learn more about all these amazing feathered friends please check out their website.
Thumbnail photo is the property of audubon.org
