Winter Birds

Today, we had a snow day.

A day when the roads are treacherous and white snow covers everything outdoors. The highs will only reach the middle 30s today and because of that, the snow will keep its beautiful white blanket over the browns of fall for another day.

Since the weather turned cold, I've been trying my best to help the neighborhood birds. I've left the leaves in the backyard. The towees and thrashers will appreciate having things to look under for small bugs that may be there.

And, caring for these small, innocent creatures with delicate, intricate feathers of reds, browns, grays and blues makes me extremely happy. I can stare out that kitchen window for hours. I'm entranced by the variety and colors. The different beaks, crests, patterns and calls. What an amazing gift for us to watch! It seems that each species has their own personality.

Some, like the blue jay are of a cool blue sky color. They are gutsy and brazen birds. They are the tough guys. But, they are very smart. My younger sister once raised a blue jay and he could communicate with her. Like clockwork, every morning, she'd let him out of his cage and gave him free run of the world outside. By evening, he'd perch by her bedroom window pane and she'd let him in for dinner and safe sleeping. When my parents had a party in the backyard, people would become alarmed when this tame blue jay landed on their shoulders. You can imagine the scene!

The male cardinal with its piercing red color looks almost like a patch of blood against the white snow. They grind and crack seeds with their broad and firm beaks. And they love their mates; I've watched a male cardinal feed a female cardinal on more than one occasion.

There are many in the sparrow family. Some have beautiful brown and black streaks across their heads. Others are gray like the slate-colored junco. There are some that are very tiny and stay in groups of five to ten. They fly in and away together always working as a group.

Occasionally, I'll spot a red-bellied woodpecker. It actaully has a red scalp with black and white markings across its back. When times are tough and it is hard to find insects, they'll land at the feeder and search for food.

And sometimes, I'll see a rarity. A bird that is not common like the cardinals or sparrows. I search online or in my bird book, trying to identify this newcomer before it flies away.

This morning, just after the sun popped up and started to add color to the scene, I filmed some of the birds in my backyard with my GoPro camera. Click the black box with play arrow at the bottom of this post. Hope you enjoy!