Do Birds have Christmas?

If you follow my blog,

you know I love the birds.

Here in south Texas we have over 350

species and many of those visit my yard

year round, including green jays, chickadees,

cardinals, titmouse, doves, owls, kiskadees,

orioles, robins and many many more.

We live close enough to the bay that we see

many water birds like herons etc. too.

I feel very blessed.

I hope you enjoy

my bird photos from this morning and also

 the following poem by Mike Zerr called.....

Do Birds have Christmas?

(colorful green jays at my feeder)

On a chilly Christmas morn, as I looked out the window

at a crystal coat of frost on the Mulberry tree,

I saw a sudden movement, like a darting shadow

that quickly transformed, into a happy Chickadee.

A thought crossed my mind, as I watched this little friend.

Could I learn the truth, from a fine-feathered brother?

If the Chickadee could talk, my ear he would bend.

Do you birds have Christmas, or is this day just another?

I watched, and listened, for action and sound.

Suddenly, a Brown Creeper, diving with speed

halted its plunge, a foot from the ground,

to peck at some old suet covered with seed.

More tiny friends appeared, to my delight.

The tree filled with blacks, reds and yellows

as Goldfinch and Cardinals arrived in a flight.

Do birds have Christmas? Tell me, little fellows.

Some Juncos flew in, these darts of slate.

They were hopping and jumping like children at recess,

feeding on seeds with the ground as their plate.

Do they know of Christmas? I can only guess.

I pushed close to the window with my forehead,

as nuthatches and woodpeckers joined in the throng.

All colors of feathers, white, black, yellow and red.

Each different, but the same, all getting along.

I sneaked open the window, and heard them all sing,

At last to my mind came all the right words.

It was as clear as their chorus, a choir on the wing.

Birds don’t have Christmas, Christmas has birds!

----Mike Zerr

(looking for fallen seeds)

(big eyed titmouse)

(a nice pair on my fence)

Hope you

savor the day,

and have many Christmas birds in YOUR yard.

Yvonne