A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
--Chinese proverb
Today is National Bird Day.
My mother was an avid, amateur birdwatcher. I grew up watching birds with her. We counted chickadees in the shrubs, admired cardinals in the cedars, laughed at the chatty blue jays as they chased the goldfinch from the feeder. We scolded the barn swallows when they dive-bombed our heads and chased the crows out of the vegetable garden.
One would think that as much bird watching as I have done, I would have countless photos of all those birds. Sadly, though, I have never been good at taking bird photographs. Not my strong suit, I guess. Here's one of my favorites, though--the wild turkeys in our back yard.
Our bookshelves, however, are rich with bird books, vintage and new.
And birds brighten our home's landscape inside and out.
I've done a little birding on vacation, too. On a summer jaunt down Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M., I spotted a beauty of an old bird: the historic, kitschy Blue Swallow Motel.
Mom counted cardinals and hummingbirds among her favorites. I'm partial to our state bird, the Western Meadowlark.
Mom counted cardinals and hummingbirds among her favorites. I'm partial to our state bird, the Western Meadowlark.
Do you have a favorite bird? In observance of National Bird Day, I invite you to post your favorite bird image on my Facebook page.
Linking to:
Thank you for this reminder... I had not realized. I love birds, too, and capture their feeding on my game camera. I keep turkeys, too, and love to watch them!
ReplyDeleteI'm not on Facebook, but I can tell you that my two favourite birds are Stellar's Jays and Spotted Flicker. Here's a link to the Flicker, a very shy bird. http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/northern_flicker_3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/id&h=368&w=425&sz=49&tbnid=AIujo4v_umyTuM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=104&zoom=1&usg=__GRRktsL7a-f0ly8c60zp4BSi6M8=&docid=lzouMl8s3eM6xM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=noDoUJacG6nOiwLYl4DwBQ&ved=0CD4Q9QEwAQ&dur=722
ReplyDeletehmm, just wondering what one does to celebrate bird day ... I love decorating with them year round, though.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post, Ann...I am a bird lover, too! I don't really have a favorite, though, as I enjoy seeing all of them...although I guess I do have something of a soft spot for mourning doves...
ReplyDeleteI love watching birds, even though I am not very good at identifying them! I think I got my love of birds from Grandma. She is always sitting on her back porch, binoculars in hand watching the birds in her back yard :)
ReplyDeleteI love chickens, so I'll say they are my favorite birds! Haha.
Visiting from Sunny Simple Sunday :)