" A bird is three things: feathers, flight and song. And feathers are the least of these." -Marjorie Allen Seiffert, poet
Go outside, sit down, relax and close your eyes. Listen carefully. What do you hear? Some of us may notice the rumbling of traffic, people bustling, life swiftly moving down gritty crowded city streets. Some us may hear the occasional lonely beagle howling in the distance or the vibrations of an airplane engine gliding high overhead. Listen closely to what remains unconsciously tuned out. Bird songs.
Monday, January 5th is "National Bird Day". "National Bird Day" is a campaign to educate and bring about awareness of the increasing plight of wild native and exotic birds around the world. Birds are an especially important species because they serve as barometers of our delicate ecosystems. Due to loss of habitat, disease and the illegal pet trade songbirds and many of the world's parrots are endangered. According to recent research almost 12% of the worlds nearly 10,000 bird species may face extinction within the next century. Why are birds so crucial to our planet? Like all other species, birds keep our earth in balance. Birds not only disperse seeds, they eat insects and mosquitoes, they pollinate plants and help recycle nutrients back into the earth. Birds scavenge dead carcasses preventing diseases, predict weather and climate changes and welcome in each season of our lives.
For more educational information about "National Bird Day" or additional resources visit:
http://www.audubon.org/ or http://www.nationalbirdday.com/
It is difficult to imagine a world without birds. They are an immediate reminder of nature and much too often, like many creatures that surround us, birds are ignored or simply seen as a nuisance or unimportant. From the largest falcon to the tiniest of hummingbirds, they help sustain the earths resources and have allowed us to dream. Birds were our first instructors of flight, inspiring us to soar as we imitated their precision. We admire how gracefully birds spread their wings and fly from place to place, encouraging our own freedom. The echos of their beautiful songs have influenced countless engineers, scientists, musicians, sculptures, painters, writers and poets. Please continue to preserve and honor them with avian education.
"So you must persist in asking
where my heart goes all the long, cold night.
Like following trails left by birds
who vanished with yesterday's sky."