Bird Wreath

Day 56: It's official! The season has begun at the Crow's Nest. I made spritz on St. Nicholas Day, and yesterday I put up the Bird Wreath and the other assorted house decorations. The tree will go up this weekend if I can figure out where to put it. That said, I observe Christmas as a tradition of a festive nature, not a religious one. There are vestiges of my father's Catholic upbringing in it, e.g., the observance of St. Nicholas Day, but mostly it is to me a time to be closer to friends (human and otherwise) and to recognize them with a few special kindnesses above those of the rest of the year. Birds, boughs and lights are the symbols of my Yuletide, a season which begins on December 6 (St. Nicholas Day) and ends on Hogmanay (January 1). The core of the period is shared by the twin stars of Solstice and Christmas, each with its own set of traditions unique to me personally. Perforce, some have had to be revised over the years, so if anyone knows where I can get some real mistletoe to go with the Solstice holly, please let me know!

Christmas Wreath

Day 72: The debate about whether or not feeding wild birds is a good idea is a hot one with good arguments on both sides. However, in fifty-plus years of doing so, I have not made any observations which would incline me to stop: no die-offs, no lack of resistance to disease, no dependency on human handouts. Although I feed regularly, if for some reason I am absent for a week, my clientele shifts to other food sources and it sometimes takes them a day or two to discover that I've returned and am again delivering breakfast. I provide a wide range of seeds, nectar and fats and consequently have upwards of two dozen species coming to the table. But there is another argument for feeding which you won't hear voiced very often: that the practice is innate to human behaviour, and that imposing a restriction on it is unnatural and contradictory to our psyche. I wouldn't be surprised to find evidence of bird-feeding among the earliest humans; orts tossed outside the sheltering cave undoubtedly drew proto-corvids to the door. Man has always been fascinated by the creatures who do what he cannot: fly, and therefore elude him.

However, like humans, birds need to eat the right kind of foods. Bread, except as an occasional offering, is difficult for the avian digestive system to process and unless it is homemade or "organic," contains all sorts of things no living being should ingest. Put out black-oil sunflower seed for larger birds, a mix of small seed for those with smaller beaks. Add suet blocks for the woodpecker family who need a higher ratio of fats. If you have hummingbirds in winter, refresh the nectar jar often to prevent the growth of mold. Don't forget the "little people" this Christmas!

Christmas Greetings!

Day 73: You might think that a Christmas tree decorated largely with birds would be more temptation than any two cats should be asked to endure, but although I caught Skunk patting one of the lower ornaments, Tip is content to observe politely. Both of them have been known to investigate bows and ribbons, dragging lightweight gifts out into the middle of the floor, but they've been very well behaved this year. My good kitties and I would like to wish you all the most merry Christmas!

Noel Of Small Birds

Day 54: For as long as I have lived in my present home, it has been my tradition to put up a few decorations on St. Nicholas Day, although I generally wait until somewhat later in the month to put up the tree. The "bird wreath" is always the first to go up. But for one, the birds are all fairly accurate representations of specific species: Blue Jays, a Goldfinch, a Cedar Waxwing, a Red-Headed Woodpecker, Anna's Hummingbird, a White-Breasted Nuthatch, Cardinals, and a Crow, without which any wreath of mine would have seemed incomplete. The one exception is a little pink bird in a nest who arrived at my hospital bedside in a pot of tulips following a surgery many years ago. Of course Blue Jays are not found in the Pacific Northwest, but they were as close as I could get to a Steller's Jay, nor are Cardinals, but they are the bird most often associated with the holiday season.

My tree will also be filled with birds of all shapes and sizes: tiny woodcarvings, flat cutouts, three-dimensional metal figures, faceted faux crystal, blown glass. There are Cockatoos and Crows, Parrots, Cardinals and Grey Jays, fat Chickadees, Owls, and even a pair of farmyard chicks who look like they escaped from someone's Easter basket. Not that I forget very often, but they serve to remind me to keep the feeders filled so that no one goes hungry.

All the birds of winter gather in to find a shelter,
Begging for a bit of food and warmth in the cold weather.
From their homes in barren trees, sparrows go, and chickadees.
Finches search for bright berries, flying back with treasure.
Gifts of Man shall help in need; crumbs of bread and scattered seed.
Thankful small birds all, indeed! Merry to a feather!

Don't forget the little people in your yard. Put out seed and water daily.