Tag: winter

Creature Thoughts, March-April 2022: Dear Dear Deer

I don’t mean to feed the deer. I know it’s not legal to do so. In fact, it’s illegal in my state (and many others) to feed any wildlife other than the birds. However, the deer (and the squirrels and the chipmunks and the occasional raccoon, saints preserve us) have minds of their own.

I had no sooner put the seed out for the birdies this morning, when I turned to see three large does helping themselves to my feeders.

Creature Thoughts: January 2021

I hope, however, that you can still listen for the birdsong. Stand in the crisp, clear, cold, with your eyes closed, for just a moment, and open your heart. Hear the distant trill, the chirrup, and the warble, and know from the depths of your soul that you are hearing the promise of spring.

Creature Thoughts, Nov 2019: The Dark Of The Year

In the United States, and other parts of the globe, what we refer to as Daylight Savings Time has ended. This means that we who live in the northern hemisphere face darkness before evening even arrives. By 5:30 PM, when many people haven’t even had their supper yet, it’s already night in my little section of the Universe. The horses are in the barn, the wild birds have tucked themselves into the trees, and the beings who hunt at dawn and dusk are beginning to prowl.

Creature Thoughts, March 2015

What can you do to help your wild neighbors get through these last few weeks of winter? I’m sure many of you already have been doing much of this all winter long, but right now, after having suffered for so long, it’s important to continue to provide. I know that getting out to change water and fill bird feeders when the temps drop below zero can be a pain (in more ways than one), but the birds (and their occasional dinner guests) will truly appreciate it.