May 4th is STILL For The Birds!

VOLUMES ONE AND TWO

Today, May 4th, is Bird Day. It seems more special today in 2018's Year of the Bird, which, as you may know, was designated as such due to this year being the one hundredth anniversary of the passing of The Migratory Bird Act.

In any event, according to Holiday Insights, "Bird Day is the oldest of the days set aside to recognize birds. According to the U.S. Library of Congress, Bird Day was first observed  on May 4, 1894. It was started by Charles Almanzo Babcock, superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. By 1910, Bird Day was widely celebrated, often in conjunction with Arbor Day. Bird Day and Arbor Day events are focused upon conservation training and awareness."

If this breaking news sounds familiar to you dear reader, it may be because I discussed Bird Day in my May 4th posting for the year 2016, which was quite extensive, as it included many bird varieties.

You may reference it by clicking here. Since the publication of my Bird  Day post, I have published two hardcover versions within the Words In Our Beak book series and they can be seen in the image atop this entry.*

Today in honor of Bird Day, I am featuring images of all the bird types whom (in alphabetical order) I have met in Central Park or at the Hudson River, as well as in my courtyard, since that the last year's Bird Day.

January the Fifth is for (some of) the birds!

Earlier today, I posted some facts regarding this date of January 5th, stating that it is the twelfth day of Christmas and mentioned that some folks will be participating in Twelfth Night celebrations. But this not the only event being honored! For according to Holiday Insights (H.I.), "National Bird Day is celebrated on January 5th."  H.I; in an attempt to clarify one bird related holiday from another states the following:

"Bird Day is the oldest of the days set aside to recognize birds. According to the U.S. Library of Congress, Bird Day was first observed  on May 4, 1894. It was started by Charles Almanzo Babcock, superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. By 1910, Bird Day was widely celebrated, often in conjunction with Arbor Day. Bird Day and Arbor Day events are focused upon conservation training and awareness.

"National Bird Day was established by bird activists. It calls upon people to recognize the plight of captive birds. It also draws attention to exploitation of birds in the U.S. pet industry. On this day, organizers suggest we reflect upon the conditions of birds held in captivity. Note: Our research did not find any documentation that this is a "National" day, which requires an act of congress.

"International Migratory Bird Day celebrates the incredible journey that migratory birds take each year. They travel thousands of miles between breeding grounds in North America, and their winter homes in Central and South America. Organizers say this is a day to both support, and to increase awareness of conservation efforts in support of migratory birds. They also suggest a field trip into a woods to look for and enjoy migrating birds."

Furthermore, H.I. suggests that on this National Bird Day (as well as all bird-related holidays) that folks be more observant of our feathered friends. This always a great thing to do, but, it's also great to give the gift of birds to a fauna lover on this day.

On another note, I have a confession to make re my own observation of my visiting birds! As I was typing this I heard a lot of commotion in my kitchen and thought it was a mouse! Turns out a little male house finch (a bird type that is featured in Cam's book) had gotten inside by going through a very small opening in my window! Before attempting to help him make an exit, I tried to get a photo!

BUT it turns out the memory card wasn't in my camera! I'll have to rely on my own memory re this encounter and turn to the wisdom of E.B. White's aunt which I've referenced here on Blogger in the past, stating:

"When a missed opportunity like this occurs, I try to console myself with the wisdom that E.B. White spoke of in his essay, 'Remembrance is Sufficient.' An excerpt from this can be found below:

"'...A few weeks ago she (White's aunt) said something so close to the theme of Christmas that we shall quote it here... We were apologizing for have taken her for a motor ride that morning to see once again the bright colors of the woods. 'Why, my dear,' she said without hesitation, 'remembrance is sufficient of the beauty we have seen.'"

Therefore, instead of bemoaning that I wasn't on point to document my visitor's very short stay (he figured out how to get out of Dodge...), I'm very flattered to have been in his presence. And to think he visited me on National Bird Day!

Monday's Musings 2: Session 35 & N'tl Bird Day

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

The photo-op directly above is from tonight's (May the fourth) #ClapBecauseWeCare session, where many participants announced: "May the fourth* be with you, first responders, health care professionals and essential workers. BRAVO! BRAVO!"

*"May the Fourth be with you," is the catchphrase of Star Wars Day on May 4th, the unofficial holiday celebrating the Star Wars franchise. It is a pun on a famous line from Star Wars, May the Force be with you.

NOT SO FAST: #MaytheFourth is for the birds!

This past Saturday —  which was May the Fourth — here on Blogger, I reminded readers that it was World Naked Gardening Day, but in order to not scare the many people whose windows look out onto my rooftop garden, I didn't tend to it in the buff.

National Bird Day 2020

Cardinal Feeds Fledgling (Info in my "Words In Our Beak" Book Series)

Today, January 5th, is a holiday known as National Bird Day, which is an occasion I've written about in bygone years;  and will continue to do going forward, as this holiday has great personal importance.

Today, May 4th, IS FOR THE BIRDS!

Many of you might recognize the cardinal featured in the photograph atop this blog entry, for this creature is Cam, the author of Words In Our Beak Volume One, a book which I helped her to write.

In any event, the image that is atop-this posting is included in her story, and it was taken in my rooftop garden, located in NYC, and where the story takes place. Cam is with me in honor of the holiday, which is Bird Day. According to Holiday Insights (HI), Bird Day is aways celebrated on May 4th.

HI explains that "Bird Day is the oldest of the days set aside to recognize birds. According to the U.S. Library of Congress, Bird Day was first observed  on May 4, 1894. It was started by Charles Almanzo Babcock, superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. By 1910, Bird Day was widely celebrated, often in conjunction with Arbor Day. Bird Day and Arbor Day events are focused upon conservation training and awareness."

Therefore, in honor of this event, Cam and I are featuring images of all the bird types who have visited my urban garden, as of this posting. We are doing this in order of the appearance of a given fauna type in my place.

Cam is the first bird I saw in my garden, however, others have seen hummingbirds her. But since I have not, we'll begin with her. Cam has been here with her husband, Mac, as well as couple of her children as seen in the next set of images.

The second bird type who I noticed in my garden is male and female house finches who can be seen getting intimate while perching on the string lights which hang over my garden.

Mourning doves were the third bird variety to spend time here and they also used my place to get intimate as evidenced below.

All three of the aforementioned bird types are discussed in detail (accompanied by an array of images) in Words In Our Beak Volume One.  

The  other birds which have visited here will be featured in subsequent volume. These include (in order of appearance in my garden.

Blue jays:

House sparrows:

Tufted titmouses:

Chickadees:

Downy Woodpeckers:

Common Grackles:

White-Breasted Nuthatch:

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak:

Pigeons:

Baltimore oriole:

European starlings:

Northern mockingbird:

American Goldfinch:

American robin:

A Leutistic House Finch:

And an American kestrel:

The American kestrel's arrival brought the total amount of bird types who have visited my garden to twenty.

Of these twenty varieties who have come here, I have seen seven of them represented in Central Park, including American robins, blue jays, cardinals, common grackles, European starlings, mourning doves, pigeons, sparrows and tufted titmouses.

I've also encountered other types of fauna in the park.

N'tl Bird Day 2021 has come and gone! However, one can continue to celebrate! (Tuesday's Truths WK 201)

MALE HOUSE FINCHES ARE FEATURED IN WIOB

This two hundred and one segement of Tuesday's Truths is to alert you to the fact that National Bird Day has come and gone for the year 2021. It was celebrated three weeks ago on 1-5. Information re this holiday can be found in a number of places on the web including a page for National Day. 

In bygone years, I've published posts about this occasion as I certainly appreciate any occasion that aims to raise awareness about members of the animal kingdom and I don’t think it needs to be limited to one day.

But this segement is also designed to let you know that if you missed this year’s National Bird Day, just make it a point to do something that will benefit our feathered friends, such as making sure any bird feeder you have is clean as well as replenished. 

They will truly appreciate your efforts as evidenced by this male house finch (in the photograph directly above) who is enjoying a snack from a feeder in my garden.

Another thing you can do is to make sure your bird bath is clean and if winter temperatures are prevailing, make sure the water isn't frozen.

Bird Day Reflections

Yesterday, May 4th, was a National Holiday in the USA. It's a holiday known as Bird Day.  However, while Bird Day is officially recognized on May 4th, it is an occasion I celebrate every day, as I truly appreciate the avian community. However, yesterday, I did spend part of the official Bird Day with Juan V, who was here to work with me in my rooftop urban (NYC) garden, where I'm working out the details re the placement of bird feeders.

Draw A Bird Day 2020

MOCKINGBIRDS ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME3

Today, April the 8th, is an official time to celebrate an unofficial holiday, which dates back to the 1940's and is known as "Draw A Bird Day" and because drawing is not part of my skill set, I honored the day by taking pictures of a Northern mockingbird (one of my photos is posted directly above) who stopped by my garden for a snack.

International Migratory Bird Day 2018 (etc)

It's the second Saturday in the month of May, which means it is International Migratory Bird Day.

The text-image atop this entry (which I created from a memo that I received within an email) from Bird Life International. In it they stated:

"Since its passing 100 years ago, the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act has saved the lives of billions of birds and fined major corporations, such as BP, for their irresponsible actions. Last December, this law was reinterpreted by the Trump Administration, meaning that companies, both big and small, can no longer be held accountable should their actions result in incidental bird deaths.

This leaves millions of birds vulnerable to human threats, such as oil spills, pesticides, and improperly-sited wind turbines. And this is just in the USA. Every country has its own problems affecting birds along the flyway, and each presents unique challenges for the people working to protect wildlife there. But, there is little point working to save a bird in one country, if it will meet its end in the next.

We must work together to protect migratory birds in every country, and the BirdLife partnership is uniquely placed to do just that."

Bird Life International goes on to state many ways that people can work together to protect birds.

I strongly feel that if the general population were introduced to members of the avian community, in a personal way, they might get to know these creatures in a manner which would ultimately cause them to be more proactive in efforts to protect fauna.

One way people can get to know birds on a personal level and from a unique perspective is from the book series, Words In Our Beak (pictured below):

VOLUMES ONE AND TWO

The stories in these books are told from the perspective of a female cardinal (Cam) who knows a thing or two about the challenges of life.

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!

Tuesday's Truths WK 22: The 3rd Day of Christmas

Welcome to the twenty-second week of my Tuesday's Truths series! Today also happens to be the third day of the twelve days of Christmas. This series of days is represented pictorially in an image atop my blog post and details re this picture can be found by clicking here.

According to a  Christmas-related web-page, "The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night. The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the middle ages and were a time of celebration."

Giving a THUMBS UP to #DrawaBirdDay (2017)

Today, April the 8th, is an official time to celebrate an unofficial holiday, which dates back to the 1940's and is known as Draw A Bird Day. In honor of the event, I've posted a drawing of a blue jay that I did as a very young child. As you can see, drawing was not my strength! When it comes to pictures of birds, I'm better off rendering them photographically, rather than with crayons, but being an accomplished drawer is not a criteria for participating in this holiday.

Here's what MNN (Mother Nature Network) has to say re the event: "Although it's not a recognized holiday, it's celebrated worldwide on April 8 as a way to find joy in life's simple pleasures and to help people temporarily forget their suffering. According to the Draw A Bird Day website, the holiday dates back to 1943 when a 7-year-old British girl named Dorie Cooper went to visit her uncle who'd been wounded in the war. The man was distraught after losing his leg to a landmine, so in an attempt to distract him, Dorie asked him to draw her a bird. He drew a picture of a robin, and Dorie laughed, saying he wasn’t a very gifted artist but that she’d hang the drawing in her room anyway.

"The young girl's honesty and acceptance lifted the soldier's spirits, and every time Dorie visited after that, he and the other wounded soldiers would have a contest to see who could create the best bird picture. In a matter of months, the ward's walls were covered in bird drawings. Tragically, Dorie was hit by a car three years later and killed. At her funeral, her coffin was filled with bird pictures drawn by soldiers, nurses and doctors from her uncle's hospital. She was remembered as the little girl who brought life and hope to a ward of suffering, and since her death, people have been honoring Dorie by drawing birds on her birthday."

MNN goes on to say that "anyone can participate in celebrating Dorie's life by drawing a bird on April 8 and sharing it with someone." 

Therefore, in memory of Dorie Cooper, I'm honoring the day by posting the following images of bird drawings that were on a chalkboard inside a store on the UWS of NYC;

as well as a drawing of a bird that was on a pop-up chalkboard (as seen below) outside a shop near to The Wild Bird Fund, the only bird re-hab facility in NYC.