"I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December."
- Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing
I bought a big bag of bird nuts, corn and seed. It may bring the mice, but I really want to encourage the birds to come take shelter in our juniper trees. Birds, it is said, are messengers. I adore the little chickadees that dart through the area and sing from the junipers next to our house. They are my happy songs.
It is not the ordinary moments of quick bursts of song, but the bird that is different, in some way, who is intent on singing to you, personally, that brings a message, as with all birds. When one is uncommon in some way, it is the one who tries to get your attention and offers symbolic messages.
Sister Chickadee is a fragile little bird in so many ways, but they weather the weather, here, where it is a fairly mild winter. Their song is full of cheerfulness and I love them more than first robins of Spring. They arrive on a dark day and sings their hearts out. They flitter to the lilac branches just next to one of our bay windows and burst into song, seemingly watching what is going on indoors ( but, perhaps, like that window-banger Robin, they see their own reflection and think it is someone trying to take their special spot.) They endure and huddle because it must be a bit warmer just there, and especially when we have the pellet fireplace on next to that window.
They love being in a group and she reminds us to socialize, to go hang out with our sisters.
To the Cherokee, they are harbingers of something serious and are trying to cheer you up before it happens. To others, she reminds us that positivity that needs to be worked on. I choose to consider them JOY-bringers because there is nothing like the song of chickadees to stop me in my tracks in beautiful wonder.
May you have messenger birds in your darkest days of December.
©Carol Desjarlais 12.4.19
As I am feeding the birds , there is a variety but the Northern Flicker rules . They entertain me all day , and the cat of course. They have a routine I find interesting. Certain times, certain species .
ReplyDeleteOh that is so fabulous because you feed them just outside the window... I have mine under the juniper by the side of the house... waiting and waiting for the chickadees to discover
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