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Friday, February 3, 2017

Today's also Feed the Birds Day.






I posted something earlier today (here on Blogger) in honor of one of the February 3rd holidays known as The Day the Music Died Day. And at the conclusion of that post, I stated, "I will be back later today to discuss another holiday happening on this day, which is up lifting, and is one that's for the birds, so stay tuned."

As promised, here I am, with information re the additional holiday for today that I was referring to in the aforementioned post. It's the holiday known as Feed the Birds Day! According to Holiday Insights (HI), this "celebration" always occurs on February  3rd; and in honor of the day folks should "help the wild birds in (their) backyard to survive the long, cold winter by feeding them. (And HI claims) that's exactly why this special day was created. Mid and late winter are especially hard on all outdoor animals. By mid winter, food sources become scarcer and scarcer for the wild birds that over-winter in your backyard. What little food that is available, can get buried under deep snow. (And they also proclaim that) the bird feeder that (one places) in (their) backyard, in view of (their) picture window, may be entertaining to (them) as a bird watcher. (But) it is also vital to the survival of birds in harsh winters."

My day started out with my hearing a cardinal singing in my urban garden, which as you may know, is on a rooftop in NYC.  I have not seen a cardinal spending time in my place for quite sometime, due to major building construction that has been taking place near to where I live. And I was thrilled to hear the cardinal's voice, but alas, by the time I got my camera adjusted, he was gone. I know the bird was a he; because I was able to get a glimpse of his vibrant red coloring, before he made a complete exit.

I certainly hope cardinals return to my place, especially since I helped a female cardinal, Cam, publish her book, Words In Our Beak Volume One, which details her experiences re being a bird in NYC!



And I've also helped her with sequels awaiting publication (stay tuned for updates re this matter).

Although the nearby construction has deterred a number of bird types from coming here, I have seen cardinals (both male and female) in nearby Central Park, where I took the photos that are atop this blog entry.

Be that as it may, for even though I missed getting a photo-op of the brilliant red of my cardinal who came by this morning, I did get a chance to see birds with red coloring in my garden today, including male house finches (who as you may know are red) who were dining with their mates at one of my bird feeders!

Moreover, a red-breasted American Robin,  stopped by to nosh on the seeds, as well as the suet cakes and grapes that I was "serving" in my bird-bistro!
He (or she) can be seen spending time here in the following pictures.







I had not seen an American Robin here for a number of months and, as I presume the case was with cardinals,  I attributed the absence of this creature to the nearby construction! The same seems to be true for the Northern Mockingbird, however, he/she, did make a brief appearance today!

But the construction never did not deter European starlings, mourning doves, pigeons, or sparrows, they continue to visit — no matter what, and this Feed the Birds Day was no exception: they all spent hours noshing here!

And, thankfully, it did not stop the sweet dark-eyed juncoes from spending their annual visit at my place, and I was glad to see them take part in my offerings today! However, they tend to be very camera-shy (as am I) so I felt blessed to get a photo-op (seen below).


Moreover, I was truly moved by seeing a white-breasted nuthatch atop my garden's ledge and at the feeders, including my peanut wreath! I have not seen this bird type in my garden for quite some time!



I thank all of these birds for helping me to enjoy this Feed the Bird's Day by being present. And all I have to say to them is, Y'all come back now, ya hear! And for you, dear reader, in honor of this day, I've posted a You Tube video featuring the song, "Feed the Bird," from Mary Poppins.




ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The non-hardcover version (or versions)  of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

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