A worried blue jay
came to see me yesterday
and loudly proclaimed:
“I am here to issue
a winter weather warning,
so please listen carefully
to everything I say.
Don’t be fooled by this warm sun,
for tomorrow all will change—
snow and ice are on their way.”
“It’s true what he is saying,”
a nearby cardinal said.
“Birds know when cold is coming
and we are filled with dread.
So can you give us
more sunflower seeds
and maybe some day-old bread?
You see, we are sad.
That thoughtless sparrow
with the striped head
ate the last good food we had!”
Oh! Guilty sparrow
caught with a tasty mouthful,
unable to speak! ~ ms
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Before I Forget 
Beautiful shot of the blue jay! I love the plumage of blue jay! Your words are very eloquent and go very well with your photographs! Thanks for sharing!
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When I saw this blue jay come right up to my back door, I knew bad weather was on its way. The blue jays usually do not come this close. There were still a few uneaten sunflower seeds in the grass, and he was more afraid of hunger than he was of me.
The same with the male cardinal—also more frightened of being hungry than he was of being close to me. I took these photos yesterday….and today there was an ice storm. Nature is a better predictor of weather than man will ever be!
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Fabulous photography Mary – and I love your birds with stories of things to come and letting you know to feed them more to cope with winter.
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Thanks!
Did you get ice and snow?
We got a little bit of ice, but now it is raining.
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Very pretty shots! THe birds do seem to know exactly when the dangerous weather is due, don’t they! They have amazing survival strategies!
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Yes, they do! When I took philosophy, one of the professors said that humans are the smartest animal because we created our own language and we can communicate with words. Ummm….animals can communicate without needing words. They can tell when the weather is going to shift without sitting in front of a TV or computer, searching for the weather channel. Woodpeckers can hear bugs moving inside of a dying tree and know exactly where to start working….and on and on. Humans tend to think they are so smart—I think this arrogance is what makes our species kind of dumb. 😉
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Wonderful photo & prose! Smart birdies.
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Smarter than me, that’s for sure. The day before the ice storm, it was 64 degrees and sunny. I would have never seen the ice storm coming until it caught me without my coat on!
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Beautiful photos of the birds, you definitely have a peaceful spirit, the animals just love you to take their pictures.
Well my power keeps going off and on, now it seems to just go off.
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Don’t think it had much to do with my peaceful spirit.
They were hungry and more worried about the coming change in the weather…than they were about my close proximity.
Hunger levels the playing field.
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better start making that seed-cake for those beautiful birds – including the humble sparrow…
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Ummm..what is seed-cake?
And, most importantly, how do you make it?
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We heat up a little bit of dripping (slowly, just to melting) and mix in a lot of wild bird seed, then set it in containers (I use old margarine pottles), put it in the fridge to set and put one out on a little shelf we have built on a tree for whenever the birds are hungry.
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lol…awesome photos and your words compliment these fellows well!
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Thanks Heather!
The birds have such cute faces and postures, so it isn’t too hard to think of words to put in their beaks. 🙂
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hmmm…yes I love watching the birds, but I think you have a way with words Mary, that is why you say it so well! 🙂
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This is really cute to be honest. I love the photos, they are really perfect.
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Thank you for the compliment, crafted girl!
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Lovely, lovely bird story, Mary! 🙂 Yes please, get tons of sunflower seeds, some day old bread, an apple and a handful of raisins. 🙂
Have a lovely day.
Greetings from teh Rhine Valley
Dina
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Thanks for the advice…..I didn’t think of raisins or apples.
Great idea and I actually have some of those too!
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Great shot!
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Thanks John!
I do my best to get the picture before the subject flies away or runs off..
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Terrific colorful captures!
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Thank Elena. I am surprised the Blue Jay stood still long enough for me to get a photo that was not blurred. He was hungry and kind of nervous about me being there.
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It is brilliant, pretty birds.
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All kinds of colors I see flying by
almost every day— Red, blue, brown, grey….
Nature is quite an artist!
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winter is really harsh at your place!
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The weather is not that bad in comparison to the places that are farther north. But, it is still a little too cold for me!
I love the warmer weather!
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What a wonderful post! and lovely lovely photos!! 🙂
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Thanks! The birds aren’t worried anymore, now that it is spring. Food everywhere!
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