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
