Do Birds Smell?

Is this the same cardinal that was at my feeder last year?

Can robins β€œhear” worms?

 

Bird expert David Sibley answers frequently asked questions about the birds we see most often in What It’s Like to be a Bird.

In a large-format volume displaying more than two hundred species including the familiar robin, blue jays, nuthatches, and chickadees, Sibley examines birds in action with 330 illustrations.

And while the text is aimed at adults–including fascinating new scientific research on the myriad ways birds have adapted to environmental changes–it is nontechnical, making it the perfect occasion for parents and grandparents to share their love of birds with young children, who will delight in the big, full-color illustrations of birds in action.

 

Another Bird Expert

Krista Tippett of the On Being program interviews Ben, who doesn’t just watch birds, he β€œattends” to them, watching their habits, noticing their colors, and listening to their songs. She says, β€œHis mimicry is exquisite.”

What if you don’t remember the names for birds?

That’s okay, Ben Lanham says. First, watch the bird, observe its beauty. When, and if, we get to know the name of the bird we love, then we’ll remember it well.

Tippett reminds us that we are part of nature β€œtelling our stories to each other, and in this conversation, we hear a call to new stories.”

 

Emily Dickinson’s story in verse. She includes bird song!

 

Photo credit: Sara Wenger Shenk, eastern bluebirds on Facebook page

 

A “Sunday morning” congregation of eastern bluebirds happily pecking away at their breakfast perhaps before church. EcoWatch points out a new study that shows that human happiness may correlate with a number of bird species in a community.

Who knew?

 

Bonus: Friend and author, poet Merril Smith blogged about birds in a recent post, where one commenter remarked that her words fly “like tiny birds”!

 

 

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in the land.Β  Β  Β ~ Song of Solomon 2:12


 

Are you a bird watcher?

Besides birds, what in nature has nurtured your soul during the pandemic?

Have the restrictions this past year altered your “going to church” routine?

 

 

Crista called her Great Grandma Longenecker “Grandma of the Birds” because she taught her bird names and calls.