December 14, 2006 Issue

‘Tis the season of snowbirds, both the two-legged and the winged kind. I’m a backyard bird feeder junkie, fueled partly by my friendship with Linda Daugherty, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited, and because I just like watching them. It soothes and calms me to look out my office window and see them jockeying for position at the feeders and to note the various varieties that come with the seasons.

One of my favorites, the Red-Winged Blackbird is nowhere to be seen in the winter months. These are magnificent looking birds and while they come from the generic Grackle family, which most people would rather not have hogging the bird feeders, they are so gorgeous it doesn’t matter. Somewhat like squirrels, who are simply rodents with fluffy tails, who benefit from good looks. They are just like rats, but nobody would watch raptly as rats frolicked up and down the trees. Good looks attract attention every time.

With a new location come some new species of birds and the lack of some others. I had a family of lovely woodpeckers at my previous residence, but have seen none here. Blue Jays and Cardinals are plentiful, but so far no Mockingbirds have come calling. Finches, Wrens, Robins, and the ever present and constantly eating Mourning Doves are all winging away in my yard as I write this. It seems incredible to me that so many species of birds can exist in almost complete harmony. Occasionally you’ll see one take an aggressive stance against another, but not often. How is it that birds are smarter than people in this way?

I can almost guarantee that if you put lots of people in a room, even if all of them were one race or creed, with two or three food sources and told them they had to content themselves with that for an indefinite period of time, there would be hostility. The thin ones would resent the fatter ones. The vegans would complain about the relative lack of choice and probably all semblance of civility would break down. Chaos would ensue.

The birds at the feeders have no real idea if the feeders will be refilled. The birds eat what they need and fly off. They do it a couple of times a day and if the feeders are heavily populated, they wait their turn. They line up on the pole and when one bird flies away, another takes its place. Such civility. Manners Emily Post would beam upon.

‘Tis the season to celebrate the wondrous joys in our lives. As the temperatures plummet, I’m grateful for a warm and comfortable place to sleep and wish that everyone were so lucky. I’m grateful for my family, who love me despite my faults and who provide help and moral support as needed.

I’m looking at my Christmas tree, glittering with lights and ornaments collected over the years. In one of those sibling moments that occur from time to time — at just about the time I was writing and lamenting about being unable to find dated ornaments — my sister Monica was buying one for me. She had stumbled across a Waterford Crystal ornament while shopping with a friend and bought it for me. She reads my column online and said she laughed when she read my last column because she knew I would soon find a wonderful surprise in my mailbox. It took my breath away and now occupies a prominent place on my Douglas fir, which is filling my house with delightful scents.

I’m grateful we had no major storms this year. Even two years out from Ivan, the storm has had a lasting effect on the availability of Christmas trees. My brother volunteered to fetch my tree when he bought his own. Wishing to spend his money locally, he motored up to a tree farm in DeFuniak Springs he has purchased from in the past, only to be informed that Ivan took out the inventory and it will be four to five years before trees will be there again. And of course, we can all still see the other effects of hurricanes in our community, but thankfully no new damage.

I’m looking for peace on earth and in my own heart this holiday season. Let’s all take a lesson from the birds among us—practice civility, put our best food forward and our bigotry behind us—and make our community and our world a better place.

More from Leah