My son's fourth grade science curriculum
introduces different state birds with every chapter.
The intent of the publisher is that the student
learns to identify the twenty-five different state birds.
I put out a feeder this past fall so that
we could observe the birds we were studying.
I didn't realize how much joy this act would bring to us.
In addition to the saucy blue jay above,
we've had visits from
this lovely cardinal and his friend.
(I haven't yet identified this yellow visitor.)
The cardinal is West Virginia's state bird.
I've loved these pretties for a long time.
This female cardinal definitely rules the feeder.
Look how much bigger she is
than the little chickadee and purple finch.
I'm not too sure about this yellow cutie.
Is it a female goldfinch?
Now that winter has settled over my backyard,
we don't see these welcome guests.
For the most part, our feeder only has one
daily visitor -- a tiny sparrow.
I love to watch her as she visits.
Sometimes, she sits in the feeder
and hides behind the rim.
The only evidence of her presence is
the bobbing up and down of a little feathered head
and the flying seeds that she's flicking about
as she searches for the perfect one.
Her visits remind me every day
of the words of my Saviour in Matthew 10.
Jesus is giving encouragement
to his disciples before they go out
into the world to share the gospel.
He tells them that a sparrow doesn't fall to the ground
without His knowledge. If He cares this much for the
little sparrow, imagine how much He cares for you.
"Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value
than many sparrows."
Matthew 10:31
The cardinal is also the state bird for six other states.
Can you name one?
Amy
evening Amy, I so enjoy bird watching. My hubby does too. We sit on our porch a lot and have seen so many different birds around our trees and on the porch fret work. We have discovered this to be very fun and enjoyable. To listen, some days they sound like a choir with all the different chirping and singing sounds! This is a sweet post...and a wonderful lesson your son will never forget. God always shows us the beauty of everything he loves and created! Have a blessed week.....Roxie
ReplyDeleteThe cardinal is the state bird of Indiana I think (my home state).
ReplyDeleteI know Virginia is one...and I think maybe North Carolina and Kentucky? We've had lots of visitors to our feeders this winter--cardinals, blue jays, juncos, chickadees, red-bellied and downy and pileated woodpeckers, nuthatches, towhees, sparrows, goldfinches, doves... and I probably missed a few :)
ReplyDeleteOur state bird in Illinois is the cardianl. We have a pair that nest in our pine tree. So pretty to see when the snow is covering everything. My favorites our the hummingbirds in the summer. So fun to bird watch!
ReplyDeleteThe goldfinch in my stay of Iowa's state bird. I do think that is a female gold finch on your feeder. What a great study!!
ReplyDeleteYou have given me a great idea. Now that my sewing room is on the main floor, I can set up a bird feeder outside my window. =) Gonna do that for sure!
Beautiful birds ! Watching birds is a relaxing and plesant time. They add live in your environments
ReplyDelete